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I  HEN  the  title-page  of  a  new  book  in  any  degree 
interests  the  reader,  his  firsi^  desire  is  to  learn, 
in  brief,  the  nature  and  aim  of  the  work.  To 
indicate,  therefore,  the  subject,  plan  and  char- 
acter of  the  present  volume,  the  writer  makes 
the  following  prefatory  statements : 

The  visible  universe  is  a  manifestation  of  its 
invisible  Creator,  an  objective  revelation  of  his 
eternal  wisdom  and  power  and  goodness.  The 
vast  globes  and  controlling  forces  of  the  universo 
are  a  manifestation  of  his  creative  might ;  the  perfection  of  the 
arrangements  which  secure  its  safety  and  welfare  is  a  manifestation 
of  his  all-comprehending  knowledge ;  and  the  number,  variety  and 
beauty  of  its  productions  are  a  manifestation  of  his  boundless 
beneficence.  All  the  designs  and  adaptations  it  exhibits  are  God's 
designs  and  adaptations.  Its  elements  and  the  laws  which  govern 
them  had  their  origin  in  the  conceptions  and  purposes  of  God.  All 
the  ideas  disclosed  in  it  are  God's  ideas.  In  the  forms,  properties  and 
relations  of  the  various  bodies  and  substances  which  compose  it,  we 
discern  the  thoughts  that  ''in  the  beginning"  occupied  the  Divine 
Mind.  Whatever  exists  in  any  particular  shape,  color,  or  condi- 
tion in  the  vast  creation,  so  exists  because  God  willed  its  existence 
to  be  such.  And  thus  whatever  he  has  made  is  an  expression  of 
his  nature  or  character.  Every  organized  being,  every  unor- 
ganized substance,  every  force,  every  aflinity,  in  nature,  reads 
to  man  a  lesson  of  highest  import  concerning  his  Maker  and  Pre- 
server. Every  flowing  stream,  every  moving  breeze,  every  descend- 
ing ray  of  light,  brings  him  a  message  full  of  divinity. 

Creation  is  a  book,  Avritten  within  anci  without  by  the  fm^cnr  of 
God,  and,  to  him  who  can  read  it,  is  full  of  sublime  and  priceless 

U) 


Q;0 


8  PREFACE. 

instruction.  Its  pages  are  crowded  with  significant  imagery,  with 
expressive  types  and  symbols  of  eternal  truths  and  realities,  por- 
trayed and  imprinted  there  by  the  great  Father  of  all  for  the  edu- 
cation of  his  earthly  offspring  as  heirs  of  immortality.  Every 
material  object  is  suggestive  to  them  of  some  moral  truth,  and 
every  natural  process  is  symbolical  of  some  spiritual  change  or 
progress.  And  it  is  altogether  a  most  interesting  and  profitable 
study  to  trace  out  this  resemblance  or  analogy  between  things  nat- 
ural and  things  spiritual.  He  who  with  a  devout  mind  searches 
diligently  into  the  arrangements  and  relations,  structures  and 
functions,  properties  and  beauties,  of  material  nature,  will  con- 
stantly meet  with  exhibitions  which  shall  seem  to  him  as  the  pages 
of  Scripture,  written  on  the  fields  and  the  forests,  in  the  stars  and 
on  the  clouds,  in  the  solid  rocks  and  on  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

There  is  such  a  correspondence,  such  a  similarity,  characterizing 
the  material  and  the  spiritual,  tliat  no  small  portion  even  of  the 
"gospel  of  grace  "  may  be  read  from  the  fair  face  of  nature.  How 
many  of  the  divine  discourses  of  the  Great  Teacher  are  composed, 
wholly  or  in  part,  of  simple  translations  of  the  inarticulate  language 
of  nature — of  the  lilies  of  the  field  and  fowls  of  the  air,  of  the  sun 
arising  and  tlie  rain  descending  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  of  the 
salt  without  savor,  the  leaven  in  the  meal,  the  pearl  of  great  price, 
the  seed  among  thorns  and  on  the  rock  and  in  the  good  soil,  the 
vine  and  its  branches,  the  lost  and  wandering  sheep,  the  hen  gath- 
ering her  brood  under  her  wings,  the  seed  dying  in  the  ground  to 
multiply  its  kind,  the  fruitless  fig  tree,  the  wind  blowing  where  it 
listeth,  the  fields  whitening  for  the  harvest,  the  sky  red  and  lowering, 
etc.  The  lessons  which  the  Saviour  read  from  these  objects  were 
not  new  ideas,  not  new  truths  fresh  from  heaven,  but  old,  and 
which  nature  had  presented  before  man  for  his  instruction  ever 
since  the  world  began.  He  simply  taught  men  how  to  read  and 
understand  them.  His  beautiful  parables  and  many  of  his  exqui- 
site illustrations  are  but  literal  interpretations  of  the  silent  lan- 
guage of  tliese  and  other  objects  in  nature.  Hence  we  learn  from 
highest  authority,  that  the  same  principles  of  law  and  order  rule 
in  the  world  of  matter  as  are  ordained  to  govern  in  the  world  of 
mind,  and  that  what  may  be  traced  of  the  attributes  and  cliaracter 
of  the  great  God,  in  the  book  of  nature,  is  in  perfect  accord  with 
what  is  taught  in  the  book  of  inspiration. 

If  we  would  select  a  special  object  or  province  for  this  kind  of 
study — for  the  field  is  boundless — we  could  not  find  one  richer  in 


PREFACE.  » 

illustrations  of  the  divine  perfections,  of  the  doctrines  of  redeem- 
ing grace,  and  of  the  interests  and  duties  and  hopes  of  man,  than 
that  which  has  been  chosen  for  the  subject  of  this  volume — THE 
SUN.  This  great  and  central  luminary,  by  his  potent  and  all- 
embracing  influences,  is  intimately  connected  with  all  the  marvel- 
lous facts  embraced  within  the  whole  circle  of  the  Natural  Sciences. 
To  the  mind  acquainted  with  what  geometry  has  demonstrated 
respecting  its  distance,  magnitude  and  attraction  ;  with  what  the 
telescope  has  revealed  as  existing  and  transpiring  upon  its  surface ; 
with  what  the  spectroscope  has  read  of  the  mystic  inscriptions  upon 
its  descending  beams ;  with  what  chemistry  has  brought  to  light  of 
the  wonder-workings  of  its  invisible  rays ;  with  what  observation 
has  detected  of  its  waves  of  magnetic  influence  thrilling  the  solid 
globes  of  all  its  planets ;  and  with  what  experlm£nt  and  computation 
have  proved  of  the  stupendous  work  its  heat  daily  accomplishes — 
to  such  a  mind,  the  Sun  presents  a  concourse  of  phenomena  of  the 
most  interesting,  most  sublime  and  inspiring  character.  To  the 
man  at  all  familiar  with  these  facts,  if  imbued  with  the  spirit  of 
piety,  the  Solar  Orb  is  as  a  glorious  Shechina,  poised  aloft  in  the 
great  temple  of  creation,  forever  witnessing  to  the  eternal  wisdom, 
])Ower  and  glory  of  its  Maker  and  Builder,  who  is  God. 

In  Holy  Writ,  the  Sun  stands  as  a  symbol  of  the  Messiah. 
There  he  is  entitled  "The  Light  of  the  World,"  and  "  The  Sun  of 
Righteousness."  And  of  all  objects  within  the  reach  of  human 
vision,  the  Sun  is  the  most  worthy  type  of  him  who  is  "  the  Bright- 
ness of  the  Father's  glory ;  "  and  its  forces  and  functions,  in  the 
system  of  nature,  offer  the  most  striking  and  instructive  analogies 
of  his  divine  character,  gracious  oflices,  and  moral  relations,  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  And  it  is  to  the  contemplation  of  these 
analogies  that  the  following  pages  are  devoted. 

The  Analogies  of  the  great  Orb  of  Day  to  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness are  many  and  various ;  and,  for  the  sake  of  order  and  clear- 
ness, those  here  traced  have  been  classified  according  to  their  nature 
and  import,  and  are  presented  under  the  following  distinct  heads : 
First,  those  of  the  Sun  as  the  Primary  Globe ;  second,  as  the  Foun- 
tain of  Light ;  third,  as  the  Source  of  Heat ;  fourth,  as  a  Chemical 
Agent;  fifth,  as  a  Magnetic  Centre;  and,  sixth,  as  the  Centre  of 
Gravitation. 

The  plan  adopted  and  pursued  throughout  the  work  is  simply 
this:  Each  particular  Analogy  is  briefly  and  clearly  enunciated, 
and  forms  the  subject  of  a  distinct  chapter,  in  which,  first,  are 


10  PREFACE. 

related  and  described  the  natural  phenomena  pertaining  to  the 
Sun  which  supply  it,  as  revealed  by  the  latest  and  most  accurate 
deductions  of  science ;  then  the  spiritual  parallel  to  all  these  in 
the  character,  or  offices,  or  relations  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
is  traced  out,  and  its  specific  instructions  presented.  These  will 
be  found,  throughout,  both  evangelical  in  their  sentiments  and 
catholic  in  their  spirit.  The  writer  nowhere  descends  to  discuss, 
much  less  to  advocate,  any  denominational  distinctions  or  pecu- 
liarities. In  this  regard,  his  aim  has  been  to  be  as  general  and 
impartial  in  the  statement  of  grand  truths,  as  the  Sun,  of  which  he 
speaks,  is  in  shedding  down  his  light  and  heat  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

Contemplated  under  the  several  aspects  exhibited  in  these  Anal- 
ogies, the  Solar  Orb  will  be  found  to  typify  and  beautifully 
illustrate  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  gracious  doctrines  of  the  gospel 
which  relate  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Its  every  force,  every 
function,  every  law,  every  phenomenon,  will  be  discovered  to 
enshrine  spiritual  lessons  of  profoundest  interest  and  importance ; 
while  all  these  taken  together  constitute  it  a  sublime  Symbol  of  him 
who,  as  a  Divine  Luminary,  arose  with  light  and  healing  in  his 
beams  on  a  benighted  and  dying  world. 

Such  is  the  subject,  and  such  is  the  character  of  this  volume. 
And  if  its  readers,  be  they  few  or  many,  shall  derive  from  its 
perusal  a  tithe  of  the  pleasure  and  profit  which  the  author  has 
experienced  in  the  study  of  the  subjects  it  presents,  his  fondest 
hopes  concerning  it  will  be  realized,  and  his  long  labor  in  its  prep- 
aration will  not  fail  of  its  highest  reward. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Rising  Sun, Frontispiece. 

Eclipse  of  August  7th,  1869,       .        .        .      Opposite         " 

The  Solar  System, 39 

The  Sun  and  Planets  Compared, 51 

The  Sun's  Periphery  and  the  Moon's  Orbit,        .        .        .    55 

Rain-marks  of  Geological  Periods, 63 

Gods  many  and  Lords  many, 85 

Christ  among  the  Sick  and  Afflicted,     ....       103 

Plate  of  Spectra, 126 

Newton  experimenting  with  Light, 148 

Exhibition  of  the  Solar  Spectrum, 149 

Section  of  the  Human  Eye, 163 

Section  of  the  Retina, 164 

Anointing  Jesus'  Feet, 177 

Saul  smitten  to  the  Ground, 197 

Chemical  Effect  op  Sunlight, 204 

A  Sunray  expanded, 213 

The  Path  of  a  Ray  through  nine  Prisms,         .        .        .      214 

Fraunhofer's  Lines, 215 

Coincidence  of  Solar  and  Iron  Lines,    .  ...      221 

Complemental  Colors, 233 

The  Moon's  Surface, 263 

Passage  of  Light  through  the  Atmosphere,         .        .        .  274 

Halos  and  Parhelia, 276 

Parhelia  observed  by  Gassendi, 278 

(11) 


12  LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS, 

PAtn 

Parhelia  observed  by  Hevelius, 279 

Parhelia  observed  in  Tennessee, 281 

Intersection  of  two  Wave-systems, 319 

Jupiter  and  its  Satellite;*, 327 

Annular  Eclipse  of  1836, 360 

Solar  Phenomena  observed  in  1869, 363 

Solar  Eclipse  of  1868, 367 

Solar  Phenomena  observed  in  1869, 368 

Protuberances  of  the  Sun, 369 

Solar  Storm  observed  by  Lockyer, 372 

Banyan  Grove  on  the  Sun, 374 

Explosive  Phenomena  in  the  Sun, 375 

Daricness  over  all  the  Earth, 387 

Position  of  the  Moon  at  a  Solar  Eclipse,   ....  390 
Dark  and  Luminous  Rays  of  the  Sun,       ....      396 

A  Meteoric  Shower, 413 

A  Hurricane, 443 

Rome  set  on  fire  by  Nero,    . 455 

Position  of  the  Earth  at  the  different  Seasons,    .        •      466 

Tropical  Vegetation, 499 

Intensity  of  Light,  Heat  and  Actinism,   ....      535 

Wreaths  Copied  by  the  Sun, 540 

Time  of  Harvest, 559 

Influence  of  a  Magnet  on  Iron  Filings,       ....  564 

Aurora  Bobealis, '    571 

Attraction  created  and  annihilated, 593 

An  Artificial  Satellite, 604 

Erratic  Planet, 613 

Motion  of  the  Sun's  Centre, 627 

Mutual  Perturbation  of  two  Planets,         ....  634 

Variation  of  Inclinations, 636 

Variation  of  Eccentricities, 637 

Babylon  in  its  Magnificence, 661 


CONTENTS. 


Preface Page     5 

Lost  of  IllustratioDS "        11 

The  Celestial  Symbol  chosen "       33 


PART  FIRST. 

THE  SUN   AS  THE   PRIMARY   GLOBE. 

ANALOGY  I. 

As  the  Sun  is  the  centre,  the  light,  and  the  life  of  the  system  of  Creation — so  Christ, 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  is  the  centre  and  lig/U  and  life  of  the  system  of 
Revelation. 

Phenomena.  The  Sun — An  object  of  supreme  interest — The  head  and  ruler  of 
a  family  of  worlds — Striking  family  resemblances — The  homes  of  differing  popu- 
lations— Three  offices  of  the  solar  orb — Confers  benefits  that  are  inestimable— 
What  would  follow  his  extinction — Dread  darkness  and  direful  cold — All  life 
destroyed — The  oceans  congealed — The  bouds  of  nature  dissolved — Frozen  planets 
wandering  through  space — The  whole  system  scattered,  ruined,  lost Page    37 

Teachings.  A  type  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — The  central  orb  of  revelation 
— Constituent  parts  of  this  system  of  truth — Their  dependency — History,  types, 
ceremonies,  symbols  and  predictions  all  refer  to  the  Divine  Centre — He  their 
light,  life  and  significance — Taking  him  out  of  the  Bible  as  taking  the  sun  from 
the  planetary  system — Take  hlni  away  and  all  becomes  dark  and  meaningless  con- 
fusion— Christ  and  the  Scriptures  inseparable Page    4S 

ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  Sun  far  sv.rpasses  all  the  other  globes  in  the  si/stem  both  in  magnitude  and 
splendoi — so  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  infinitely  transcends  all  created 
beings  in  wisdom,  power  and  glory. 

Phenomena.  The  common  idea  entertained  of  the  sun — The  ancient  Greeks' 
estimate  of  its  size — Appears  small  because  distant — Former  estimates  of  its  dis- 
tance tjo  great — True  distance — Illustrations  of  this — Its  dimensions — Illustrations 
of  its  size — The  sun's  circumference  and  the  moon's  orbit  compared— Comparative 
Bize  of  the  sun  and  the  planets— Sun's  mass  or  weight — Its  splendor,  and  the 
intensity  of  its  light Poge    50 

Teachings.  The  sun  but  an  emblem — The  Sun  of  Righteousness  a  greater  orb 
— What  the  Scriptures  declare  concerning  hi:  nature  and  character — What  the 
Prophets  say — What  the  Apostles  say — What  the  Angels  say — What  Himself  says — 
What  the  Eternal  Father  says — Worshipped  by  all  the  hosts  of  heaven.... Pa^s    68 

(13) 


14  CJONTENTS. 

ANALOGY  III. 

As  the  Sun  was  active  and  influential  in  preparing  the  earth  to  be  a  fit  habitation  for 
tnan  unnumbered  ages  before  he  was  called  into  being — so  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, from  the  depths  of  eternity,  contrived,  and  in  the  purpose  of  his  love 
executed,  the  wondrous  scheme  of  man's  redemption. 

Phenomena.  Origin  of  the  world — Its  creation  and  formation — Its  age — The 
BUD  older — The  nebular  theory — The  sud  enlightened  the  earth  from  the  beginning 
— Proof  of  this  in  the  eyes  of  trilobites  and  fishes,  in  geological  rain-marks,  and  in 
ft>ssil  plants — Solar  action  concerned  in  forming  the  soil,  in  purifying  the  atmos- 
phere and  depositing  coal — The  great  extent  and  general  distribution  of  coal-beds — 
Rock  salt,  how  formed — The  sun  a  chief  agent  in  the  earth's  formation..., Pagre    61. 

Teachings.  The  geological  history  of  the  globe  a  grand  parable — The  Son  with 
the  Father  from  the  beginning — Purposed  the  creation  of  man,  and  foresaw  the 
moral  history  of  the  world — His  incarnation  and  sacrifice  fore-ordained,  and 
potentially  executed — Creation  carried  on  and  completed  according  to  a  ;9ton;  so 
the  work  of  human  redemption — The  latter  like  the  former  ever  progressing — The 
glorious  issue  foreseen  and  certain Page    68 

ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  Sun  is  an  orb  of  splendor  too  dazzling  for  the  human  eye  to  behold  save 
through  some  softening  or  subduing  medium — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  in  his 
absolute  divinity  was  a  being  invested  with  glories  overpowering  and  consuming, 
and  could  be  contemplated  by  mortal  man  only  through  the  softening  veil  of 
human  flesh. 

Phenomena.  The  eye  a  master-piece  of  contrivance — Made  with  reference  to 
external  and  distant  objects — The  retina  and  its  office — Its  extreme  sensibility — 
Injured  by  sudden  or  intense  light — Newton  and  other  astronomers  blinded — 
Softening  mediums  necessary  for  solar  observations Page    73 

Teachings.  The  unveiled  Deity,  like  the  sun,  too  dazzling  for  human  vision — 
Experience  of  Moses  and  Paul — Erroneous  views  of  magi,  priests  and  philosophers 
— The  incarnate  Son  the  only  medium  through  which  God  can  be  looked  upon — 
Viewed  through  the  veil  of  his  flesh  the  Divine  majesties  and  glories  are  softened — 
In  him  the  heart  of  God  is  revealed,  and  his  character  seen  to  be  merciful  and 
gracious,  full  of  love  and  ready  to  forgive Page    75 

ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  Sun  arises  on  a  scene  enshrouded  in  nature's  darkness — so  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  arose  upon  a  world  involved  in  deep  moral  darkness. 

Phenomena.  Day  and  night — The  earth's  rotation  undeviating — Constitutions 
of  plants  and  animals  adapted  to  this  rotation — The  order  of  nature  not  to  be  disre- 
garded— Labor  and  travelling  in  the  night  attended  with  illusions  and  danger — 
Aspect  of  the  sidereal  heavens  on  a  summer's  night — The  break  of  day — The  sun 
bursting  forth  in  the  East — The  enchanting  transfonmation Page    80 

Teachings.  This  an  emblem  of  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — The 
gross  darkness  of  the  world  at  his  advent — Tlie  niultii)licity  of  the  heathen's 
deities — Their  impure  and  atrocious  characters — Corrupting  eSects  of  their  worship 


CONTENTS.  15 

—Unnatural  vices  and  crimes — The  Jews  but  little  better  than  idolaters — Sunk 
into  spiritual  blindness  and  errors — Their  vices  and  consummate  hypocrisy — The 
pall  of  death  settled  down  upon  the  whole  earth — The  Sun  of  Righteousness 
arises  on  the  gloomy  scene,  sheds  new  light,  imparts  new  views,  inspires  new 
hopes Page    84 

ANALOGY  VI. 

As  the  Sun  arises  upon  the  world  ttrith  a  flood  of  health  in  his  warm,  and  lightening 
beams — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  upon  mankind  "  with  healing  in  his 
wings." 

Phenomena.  The  sunbeam  a  mysterious  agency — Its  activity  and  influence 
universal — Maintains  the  salubrity  of  the  atmosphere — Ratio  of  the  gases — Per- 
petual production  of  carbonic  acid — Its  excess  and  fatal  effects  prevented  by  solar 
action — Sunlight  essential  to  the  growth  and  fruitfulness  of  vegetation — Plants 
growing  in  darkness  devoid  of  their  characteristic  properties — "All  to  the  sun  we 
owe" — Sunlight  indispensable  to  animal  life  and  health — The  prime  stimulant  of 
vital  forces — Influence  on  the  vigor  and  spirits  of  man — Darkness  tends  to  sickness, 
deformity  and  idiocy — The  experience  of  hospitals — Sunlight  essential  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  world Page    92 

Teachings.  A  beautiful  analogy — The  Sun  of  Righteousness  arises  with  healing 
to  the  moral,  atmosphere — Errors  and  vices  like  poisonous  gases — Tlie  remedial 
truths  he  sheds  on  men — The  virtue  of  his  example — Stimulates  all  plants  of 
righteousness  to  the  same — Brings  healing  to  bodily  maladies — His  wondrous  career 
among  the  suffering  and  dying — Brings  healing  to  sin-sick  souls — Maladies  of  the 
soul  comparable  to  diseases  of  the  body — The  restoring  power  of  his  love  and  truth 
and  grace — Brings  healing  to  social  evils;  to  the  Family  and  the  State — Fruits  of  his 
healing  ministry  visible  in  all  Christian  lands Page    98 

ANALOGY  VII. 

As  the  Sun  arises  for  the  good  of  the  whole  globe  of  nature — so  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness  arose  to  benefit  and  to  bless  the  tvhole  world  of  mankind. 

Phenomena.  An  interesting  and  profitable  field  of  study — The  material  world 
governed  by  general  laws — The  sun  shines  for  an  equal  time  on  all  parts  of  the 
earth — Shines  with  the  same  light — Shines  for  the  same  ends — The  common  and 
impartial  benefactor  of  all Page  108 

Teachings.  So  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — No  respect  of  persons  with  him — 
His  mission  embraced  the  world — His  banner  was  for  the  eye  of  the  world — His 
message  was  for  the  ear  of  the  world — His  sacrifice  was  for  the  sin  of  the  world — • 
His  instructions  for  all  the  nations  and  ages  of  the  world — Attempts  to  limit  his 
grace — In  Christ,  all  have,  or  may  have,  aa  equal  interest Page  112 

ANALOGY  VIII. 

As  the  Solar  Orb  is  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  light  and  heat  to  the  material  world 
— so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  enlightening  and 
saving  grace  to  the  world  of  mankind. 

Phenomena.  Many  solar  phenomena  inexplicable  to  science — Its  un wasted 
and  unwasting  powers  a  great  mystery — Lighted  and  warmed  the  earth  through  all 


16  CONTENTS. 

the  vast  periods  of  geology — Has  continued  to  do  the  same  thronga  all  the  ages  of 
human  history — Illumines  and  warms  as  effectually  to-day  as  in  the  beginning — Its 
energies  all  remain  unabated,  unchanged Page  115 

Teachings.  A  true  type  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — His  grace  nnwasted 
and  unwasting — His  truth  and  love  ever  remain  the  same — The  flow  of  ages  affects 
not  the  efficacy  of  his  sacrifice — Numbers  do  not  exhaust  or  weaken  it — As 
effectual  to  enlighten  and  save  a  thousand  souls  as  one — His  grace,  like  the  sun- 
light, works  manifold  benefits  for  man — Who  can  gather  up  all  the  sunshine  that 
falls  on  sea  and  land? — This  a  true  figure  of  his  grace — Sweet  suggestions  of  the 
rising  sun — The  sun  that  shall  shine  forever Page  117 

ANALOGY  IX. 

A»  the  natural  Sun  is  an  unrequited  benefactor  of  the  earth — so  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness is  an  unrecompensed  benefactor  of  the  human  race. 

Phenomena.  The  world  a  system  of  interdependence — Each  department  of 
nature  both  a  debtor  and  a  creditor — The  ocean  and  the  dry  land,  the  animal  and 
the  vegetable  kingdom,  the  ground  and  the  atmosphere,  the  soil  and  the  animal, 
the  equator  and  the  pole,  the  moon  and  the  earth,  are  all  mutually  givers  and 
receivers — But  the  sun  bestows  a  thousand  benefits,  and  receives  nothing  in 
return Page  121 

Teachings.  So  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — All  he  does  or  gives  is  of  grace — 
Man  deserves  nothing,  can  claim  nothing — Christ  wrought  out  our  salvation  from 
pure  benevolence— His  instructions  and  deeds  of  healing  were  without  money  or 
price — He  is  the  same  gratuitous  benefactor  still — Our  services  cannot  requite  or 
benefit  him — He  is  ever  giving,  we  ever  receiving Page  123 


PART   SECOND. 

THE  SUN  AS  THE   FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT. 

ANALOGY   L 

As  the  Sun  is  a  self-luminous  globe,  and  sends  forth  from  its  own  body  and  sphere  a 
flood  of  light  on  every  side — so  Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  was  a  self- 
luminous  orb,  and  poured  the  light  of  truth  and  wisdom  upon  all  around  him, 
from  the  fountain  of  his  own  mind. 

Phenomena.  The  sun  the  only  luminous  body  in  the  system — The  planets  and 
satellites  all  dark — The  moon  dark  as  the  dull  earth — Illumines  only  as  a  reflector 
— This  proved  by  her  eclipses  and  monthly  changes— Venus  a  dark  body — This 
proved  by  her  phases  and  transits — The  same  true  of  the  other  planets — The  sun 
alone  has  light  in  himself. Page  127 

Teachings.  The  Sun  of  Righteousness  a  luminous  orb — An  original  teacher — 
Owed  nothing  to  schools  or  associations— Brought  up  in  retired  Nazareth — His 
divine  teachings  flowed  from  the  fountain  of  his  own  mind — Employed  old  truths 
but  recast  them  even  as  new — Never  was  seen  such  a  teaclier  on  tlie  earth — Never 
Buch  instructions  delivered  to  men — His  teachings  a  vast  accession  to  human 
knowledge — Shed   new    and  surprising  light  on  the   character  of  God — On  the 


CONTENTS.  ^  17 

nature  and  destiny  of  the  soul — On  the  meaning  and  spirit  of  the  moral  law — On 
the  nature  of  true  and  acceptable  worship — On  the  Divine  Providence— On  the  dis- 
pensation of  the  Holy  Spirit — On  he  resurrection  of  the  body — On  the  process  and 
issue  of  the  final  judgment — Shed  light  on  quick  and  dead,  time  and  eternity,  never 
known  before Page  129 

ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  li^ht  of  the  Sun  of  nature  combines  in  itself  every  shade  of  color — so  the 
character  of  Jesus  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  embraced  every  possible  grace  and 
virtue. 

Phenomena.  Nothing  in  nature  simple — All  objects  and  substances  are  com- 
)>ounds — Light  is  a  compound — This  discovered  by  Newton — His  experiment  de- 
scribed— Prismatic  colors  explained — The  seven  prismatic  colors  recombined  pro- 
duce white  light — Effect  of  one  being  absent — All  necessary  to  produce  perfect 
light Page  147 

Teachings.  A  true  image  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — "  He  was  the  true 
light" — He  stands  alone  in  the  purity  of  his  doctrine  and  example — Was  a  sinless 
character — Fulfilled  all  the  will  of  God — Was  a  perfectly  balanced  character— In- 
tellect, conscience,  affections,  sympathies  in  perfect  equipoise — Was  a  complete 
and  harmonious  character — In  him  all  excellences  and  perfections  blended — His 
character  commands  the  admiration  of  skeptics  as  well  as  believers— Testimony  of 
Chubb — Of  Goethe — Of  Napoleon— Of  Strauss— Of  Rou.sseau — Of  Kenan. ..Pajre  150 

ANALOGY  III. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun,  fall  upon  whatever  impurity  or  corruption  it  may,  remains 
uncontaminaled — so  \Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteo-usness,  mingle  in  the  company 
of  sinners  of  whatever  class  or  grade  he  might,  came  forth  from  among  them  im- 
maculate and  untainted. 

Phenomena.  Light  the  most  refined  and  ethereal  of  elements — This  absolutely 
incorruptible — Equally  pure  in  all  localities  and  temperatures— Retains  the  same 
properties  and  obeys  the  same  laws  in  the  dungeon  and  the  tomb— Every  where  a  pure 
medium Page  156 

Teachings.  True  and  beautiful  representative  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  — 
His  purity  not  due  to  seclusion  from  the  world — Mingled  freely  with  all  classes — 
Enjoyed  no  s{)ecial  exemption  from  trials — Was  tempted,  vexed,  and  injured  more 
than  any  man — Yet  maintained  his  innocence  and  purity^ — The  best  and  wisest  of 
men  at  times  falter,  yield,  sin — Christ  never — Returned  to  heaven  as  immaculate 
a-s  he  left  it Page  158 

ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature  finds  in  the  body  an  organ,  the  eye,  designed  to  receive  and 
appreciate  and  employ  its  light — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  finds  in  the  soul  a 
faculty,  the  conscience,  designed  and  qualified  to  receive  his  truth  and  to  discern 
the  right. 
Phenomena.    The  world  constituted  for  man,  and  man  for  the  world — His  eye 
a  congeries  of  adaptations  to  light — The  work  of  a  designing  intelligence — This  evi- 
denced by  its  several  parts — The  sclerotic  and  choroid  coats— The  retina — The  lenses 
2 


18  CONTENTS. 

and  humors— The  iris — Means  of  adjusting  to  distances — Muscles  for  changing  its 
direction — Lachrymal  glaud  and  conduit — Its  lids  and  position — Perfection  of  its 
operations — Its  value  and  importance Page  IGl 

Teachings.  What  the  eye  is  to  the  body,  conscience  is  to  the  soul — Conscience 
defined — Devoted  to  one  office  exclusively — Exercises  authority  over  the  whole  man 
— Its  decisions  instantaneous — Pronounces  judgment  according  to  its  liglit — A 
faculty  common  to  the  race— Essential  to  all  religion — A  witness  for  the  existence 
and  presence  of  God — A  witness  for  the  righteousness  of  God — Gives  assurance  of  a 
judgment  to  come — Powerful  to  mould  the  whole  character — Christ  ever  appealed 
to  the  conscience — Illustration  of  its  power  in  Mary  Magdala — In  the  Pharisees — 
In  Peter — In  Judas — The  eye  which  receives  and  employs  spiritual  light..Pcf^e  168 

ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  San  of  nature  conveys  its  light  to  the  eye  through  the  all-pervading  ether — so 
the  San  of  Righteousness  imparts  his  light  to  the  soul  through  his  omnipresent 
Spirit. 

Phenomena.  Light  studied  from  remote  antiquity — Fancies  of  alchymists — 
Discoveries  of  Alhazen — Newton's  emition  theory— Huyghen's  difficulties  with  this 
— His  undulatory  theory — Exj)]anation  of  this  from  waves  in  water  and  air— 
Luminiferous  ether  described — Its  undulations  the  vehicles  of  light — Their  exist- 
ence proved — The  cause  of  different  colors — Vast  number  of  ether  waves  j)er  second 
— Marvels  of  the  arrangements  which  secure  to  man  the  benefits  of  light. ./^(/jre  180 

Teachings.  Corresponding  medium  in  the  spiritual  system — The  soul  illumiticl 
through  the  Spirit — Universal  presence  and  activity  of  the  Spirit — But  for  his 
agency  Christ  had  died  in  vain — But  for  this  sacred  medium  man  had  remained  in 
his  darkness  and  sin — Optional  with  man  whether  he  will  receive  the  liglit — Tin; 
doctrine  has  its  mysteries — Mysteries  no  reason  for  rejecting  it — All  things  involve 
mysteries — The  science  of  astronomy  built  on  a  mystery — Ourselves  are  bundles 
of  mysteries — The  physiologist  and  anatomist  encounter  mysteries — The  Sj)irit's 
agency  proved  by  its  effects — Illustration  of  this  in  Paul — In  multitudes,  in  everv 
age  and  country Page  187 

ANALOGY  VI. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  nature  cannot  fall  upon  any  earthly  subitavce  ivithout  pro- 
ducing in  it  a  change,  chemical  or  mechanical — so  the  light  of  the  San  of  Ilighl,- 
eousness  cannot  shine  upon  any  human  soul,  without  aJJ'ecting  it  either  for  life  or 
death. 

Phenomena.  To  the  multitude,  sunshine  is  sunshine,  and  nothing  more — 
Ilegarded  as  feeble,  but  is  potent — Three  eletnents  of  jwwer  in  the  suiibiam — Tliese 
affect  all  things — Effects  produced  by  the  Sun's  light  in  the  atrnns]i)iere — In  the 
ocean — On  vegetation — On  the  animal  creation — On  metals  and  minerals — On 
mineral  solutions— On  gases — On  electric  and  magnetic  currents — The  sunbeam's 
power  felt  from  the  surface  to  the  centre  of  the  globe Page  109 

Teachings.  The  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  also  universally  influential 
— Comes  clothed  with  heaven's  power — Nature  of  its  effects  determined  by  indi- 
vidual disposition — The  savor  of  life  to  some,  of  death  to  others — The  measure  of 
light  the  measure  of  duty — Not  to  receive  and  obey  is  to  reject  and  rebel  -The 


CONTENTS.  •  19 

clearer  the  light  the  higher  the  obligation— Divine  light  necessarily  effective— It 
softens  or  hardens,  elevates  or  sinks— Decides  the  destiny  of  the  soul Page  206 

ANALOGY  VIT. 

As  a  small  pencil  of  light  from  the  Sun  of  nature,  entering  into  a  dark  room,  serves 
to  reveal  mam/  phenomena  pertaining  to  that  glorious  orb,  otherwise  invisible— 
so  a  beam  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  entering  the  dark  mind  of  man,  reveals 
in  him  wonders  of  love  and  grace,  all  before  unknoimi. 

Phenomena,  The  sunbeam  like  white  paper  written  with  invisible  ink — Its 
significant  characters  brought  to  view  and  deciphered— The  spectroscope,  its  con- 
struction and  use— Dark  lines  in  the  sun's  spectrum— Few  discovered  by  Wollaston, 
and  more  by  Fraunhofer— The  significance  of  these  lines— Every  luminous  body  or 
substance  gives  lines— Contrivances  to  produce  intense  light  and  heat— By  means 
of  these  all  substances  can  be  evaporized,  and  made  to  give  their  spectrum  lines— 
The  lines  of  different  substances  described— Number  and  position  of  these  lines— 
The  spectroscope  an  instrument  of  surpassing  delicacy— Gases  absorb  the  same  rays 
as  they  emit— Every  substance  recognizable  by  its  particular  lines— Coincidence 
of  solar  with  terrestrial  lines— Elements  belonging  to  the  earth  found  existing  in  the 
sun— Pressure  and  agitation  of  tlie  solar  atmosphere— Direction  and  speed  of  solar 
cyclones— All  through  the  sunbeam Page  211 

Teachings.  A  beam  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  its  revelations — Man  as 
sitting  in  a  dark  room — Liglit  introduced — Great  change — Sees  nature  in  a  new 
aspect — Sees  in  Christ  excellences  and  glories  all  unknown  before — Sees  and 
adores  him  as  a  Divine  person — Sees  and  hears  him  as  a  Divine  teacher — Sees  and 
believes  his  death  to  be  an  atoning  sacrifice — Sees  and  feels  him  to  be  a  present 
living  friend — Sees  and  associates  him  with  every  scene — Loves  him  as  his  all  in 
all Page  :^21 

ANALOGY  Vin. 

As  each  color  in  the  Sunbeam  has  its  complemental  color,  and  the  observance  of  this  re- 
lation in  nature  lends  to  it  its  highest  charms — so  each  doctrine  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness has  its  complcmcnt'il  doctrine,  while  all  are  so  related  as  to  form  a 
harmonious  and  beautiful  system  of  truth  and  grace. 

Phenomena.  The  simplicity  of  nature — The  course  of  scientific  investisration 
from  the  comj)lex  to  the  simj)Ie — Such  has  been  the  case  in  regard  to  light — Primary 
colors  three,  and  not  seven — Proportion  of  these  three — Secondary  and  tertiary 
colors — Complemental  colors — Sensibility  of  the  eye  adapted  to  nature's  arrange- 
ment of  colors — Diagram  of  conii)lemeiital  colors — Harmony  of  colors  observed  in 
nature — Red  and  green  associated  in  vegetation— Yellow  and  purple,  blue  and 
orange,  in  like  manner— Chevreul's  rule  for  arranging  flowers — Plumage  of  birds 
— Nature's  combinations  ever  jileasing — Exliibit  design— Flowers  the  study  and 
admiration  of  tiie  Great  Teacher Page  250 

Teachings.  The  beauties  which  please  the  eye  due  to  the  Sun,  those  which  de- 
light the  faith  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — The  three  primary  colors  answer  to 
the  three  primary  doctrines  of  the  gospel — These  combined  present  a  complete  and 
harmonious  system — The  sweet  verdure  of  a  Father's  love,  the  ground  on  which 
all  are  presented — The  truth  and  grace  of  God  complemental  to  the  condition  and 


20  CONTENTS. 

wants  of  humanity — The  provisions  of  grace  and  the  necessities  of  man,  like  coni- 
plemental  colors,  enhance  each  other — This  collocation  inspires  the  anthems  of 
heaven Page  240 

ANALOGY  IX. 

While  the  Sun  sheds  the  same  light  on  the  face  of  all  nature,  yet  different  objects  re- 
flect different  rays  of  that  light,  and  thus  appear  in  different  colors — so,  while 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  bestows  the  same  light  of  truth  on  all,  yet  different  in- 
dividuals reflect  that  truth  under  different  phases,  and  thus  exhibit  a  variety  of 
characters. 

Phenomena.  Colors  have  a  direct  reference  to  the  welfare  of  man — Color  not 
due  to  light  alone — Dependent  on  the  molecular  constitution  of  objects — Illustra- 
tions of  this  by  means  of  the  spectrum,  and  of  colored  glasses — An  object  by  its 
molecular  constitution  sifts  the  solar  rays — Those  only  which  it  reflects  give  its 
color — Benefits  of  color  innumerable — These  instanced  and  described — Complexity 
of  the  arrangements  which  secure  to  us  these  advantages — A  "  fool"  only  can  say 
"There  is  no  God" Page  244 

Teachings.  Individual  constitutions  reflect  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Rightecis- 
ness  in  a  similar  manner — Hence  different  phases  of  character — Variety  a  general 
law  of  nature — Diversity  in  mental  as  well  as  bodily  features — Characters  of  Chris- 
tians difier — Different  characteristics  of  Peter,  John  and  Paul,  and  of  the  evangelists 
— Diversity  of  gifts  and  operations  in  the  church — Each  to  exercise  his  particular 
gift  for  the  general  good — Talents  bestowed  by  God — No  room  for  boasting  or  envy 
— Lessons  from  the  humblest  of  flowers Page  261 

ANALOGY   X. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature  effects  the  illumination  of  the  earth  through  the  reflective  agency 
of  the  atmosphere  upon  which  its  rays  fall — so  the  Sun  of  Jtighteousness  is  to 
accomplish  the  illumination  of  the  world  of  mankind  through  the  reflective  agency 
of  those  upon  whom  his  light  shines. 
Phenomena.    The  atmospheric  ocean — By  its  reflection  and  refraction  sunlight 
is  converted  into  daylight — What  the  aspect  of  the  world  would  be  without  this 
agency — The  inconveniences  and  evils  that  would  prevail— Effects  produced  by 
greatly  rarefied  atmosphere — Appearance  of  the  heavens  and  surrounding  objects  on 
the  summit  of  Mount  Blanc — The  moon  a  world  without  atmosphere — The  strange 
and  startling  aspect  of  her  scenery — What  we  owe  to  the  reflective  and  dispersive 
power  of  the  atmosphere — Design  and  adaptation  plainly  visible  in  this — God  mani- 
fest here  as  in  all  his  works Page  25S 

Teachings.  The  great  lesson  from  all  this— The  light  shed  by  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness to  be  redected  and  dispersed  through  all  the  world — Believers  to  be  re- 
flectors— "  Let  your  light  shine  before  men  " — Human  minds  like  sensitized  j)late3 
— Every  man  reflects  the  light  or  spirit  that  is  in  him — No  one  can  divest  himself 
of  this  influence — Importance  of  reflecting  the  true  light — The  young  mind  sj)ecially 
susceptible  to  impressions — Parents  photograph  their  likeness  on  the  minds  of  their 
children — The  Christian  in  every  relation  to  reflect  the  light  of  the  gospel — By  labor 
and  sacrifice  as  well  as  example — From  this  none  are  released  or  exempt — He  who 
fails  denies  the  light — Believers  the  appointed  medium  to  invest  the  world  with 
daylight Page  266 


CONTENTS.  jtt 

ANALOGY  XL  '. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature,  viewed  through  the  dank  vapors  afloat  in  the  atmosphere^ 
appears  discolored,  and  sometimes  distorted — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
looked  upon  through  the  dark  mists  of  the  carnal  mind,  appears  in  a  character 
that  belongs  not  to  him-,  and  often  as  mithout  form  or  comeliness  that  he  should  be 
desired. 

Phenomena.  The  atmosphere,  its  components — Eflects  of  being  rarefied  or 
condensed — Viewed  through  vapors,  the  Sun  appears  in  false  colors— iSoraetimes, 
in  a  false  form — Occasionally,  surrounded  by  appendages  which  do  not  belong  to 
it — Halos  and  parhelia — These  often  observed — Notable  ones  described — Of  irregular 
recurrence  and  evanescent  nature,  yet  formed  according  to  exact  laws Page  273 

Teachings.  The  parallel — Mental  vapors — Viewed  through  these,  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  discolored  and  distorted — To  some,  appears  as  an  impostor — To 
others,  a  myth — To  others  still,  an  enthusiast — Carnal  views  and  frozen  devotions 
surround  him  with  associates — The  Virgin  and  the  Saints — Mental  Anthelia — 
These  as  dependent  on  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  as  parhelia  on  the  Sun  of 
nature -Page  283 

ANALOGY  XII. 

As  the  Sun  stands  alone  as  a  luminary,  unrivalled  in  splendor  by  any  orb  of  heaven 
— so  Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  stands  alone  as  a  Teacher,  unequalled  and 
unapproached  in  the  wisdom,  purity  and  benevolence  of  his  instructions. 

Phenomena.  Efforts  made  to  measure  the  Sun's  light — Its  illuminating  power 
and  intrinsic  brilliancy — Comparisons  made  by  Bouguer  and  WoUaston — Other 
and  superior  comparisons — The  brightest  artificial  light  as  a  dark  spot  on  the 
bosom  of  the  Sun — Percentage  of  the  Sun's  light  absorbed  by  the  atmosphere — 
The  Sun  compared  with  the  fixed  stars,  the  planets,  and  the  moon — Infinitely 
transcends  all Page  291 

Teachings.  So  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  infinitely  superior  to  all  other 
teachers — Ancient  sages — Teachings  and  errors  of  Menu — Of  Confucius — Of  Zoro- 
aster—Of  Pythagoras— Of  Socrates— Of  Plato— Of  Aristotle— Of  Epicurus— Of  Zeno 
and  the  Stoics — Increased  light  has  exposed  gross  errors  in  all  these — Light  of  the 
present  day  demands  not  the  change  of  a  term  in  the  teachings  of  Christ — His 
gospel  contains  riches  of  wisdom  and  truth  found  nowhere  else— Solves  the  mystery 
of  life — Meets  the  deepest  cravings  of  the  soul — Like  the  Sun,  He  stands  without  a 
compeer Page  295 

ANALOGY  XIIL 

As  the  Sun's  light  is  reflected  from  the  ten  thousand  objects  upon  which  it  falls  in  so 

many  systems  of  ether  tvaves,  which,  though  simultaneous  in  their  outward  flow, 

yet  neither  obliterate  nor  confuse  one  another — so  the  gracious  light  of  the  Sun 

of  Righteousness,  falling  upon  ten  thousand   souls,  is  reflected   in  so  many 

prayers,  which,  though  simultaneous  in  their  ascent,  yet  neither  drown,  nor  con' 

found  one  another. 

Phenomena.     Ether  waves — Water  waves  described — Two  or  more  water  waves 

oo-existent — Air  waives  created  by  a  whole  orchestra  remain  distinct — So  ether  waves 

from  a  thousand  centres  neither  obliterate  nor  confound  one  another — Here  aie 

marvels  of  creation — To  whom  to  be  ascribed Page  317 


if 


CONTENTS. 


Teachings.  The  parallel  lesson — Luminiferous  ether  a  type  of  the  Omnipresent 
Spirit — All  are  afloat  iu  his  boundless  sensorium — Observant  of  every  tear — Seusi- 
tivie  to  every  sigh  of  devotion — The  Te  Deum  of  the  multitude  drown  not  the  cry 
of  the  solitary  penitent — The  prayers  of  the  monarch  precede  not  the  petitions  of 
the  slave — No  respect  of  persons — Kich  unto  ail  that  call  upon  him Page  322 

ANALOGY   XIV. 

As  the  Su7i  of  nature  darts  down  his  beams,  messengers  of  light,  with  amazing  speed, 
to  illumine  and  cherish  the  living  tenants  of  the  earth — so  the  Su7i  of  Righteous- 
ness sends  forth  his  angels,  with  like  speed,  to  minister  to  them  who  shall  be  heirs 
of  salvation. 

Phenomena,  The  speed  of  sound  long  known — Speed  of  light  a  modern  dis- 
covery— Discovered  by  means  of  Jupiter  and  its  satellites — These  a  beautiful  system 
— Have  led  to  the  solution  of  many  problems — The  calculated  and  actual  times 
of  the  satellites'  eclipses  compared — By  this  Rseraer  determined  the  velocity  of  light 
— His  calculation  corroborated — Hlustrations  of  this  velocity — The  Sun  in  constant 
communication  with  the  whole  system Page  326 

Teachings.  So  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  with  his  whole  church — His  messen- 
gers, angels— Angelic  visits  in  Bible  times — Still  minister  to  his  people — This  in 
harmony  with  the  economy  of  grace — "  Wings  "  emblems  of  speed — Gabriel  com- 
manded to  visit  Daniel — Rapidity  of  his  flight — Paul  comforted  by  an  angel  in  the 
storm — The  globe's  progressive  and  rotary  motions  no  difiiculties — Angels  may  be 
messengers  also  toother  planets — Physical  forces  have  no  power  over  them— Saints 
to  be  as  or  equal  to  the  angels — Like  them,  may  visit  other  worlds Page  330 

ANALOGY  XV. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun,  while  it  reveals  all  else,  remains  itself  invisible — so  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  while  he  reveals  all  things  pertaining  to  life 
and  godliness,  himself  cannot  be  seen  or  apprehended  by  any  of  our  senses. 

Phenomena.  That  light  is  visible,  an  erroneous  impression — Sunbeam  in  a  dark 
room — Lamp  in  a  foggy  night — Light-waves  become  visible  only  by  reflection — 
Illustration  from  a  windmill — Proof  from  the  progressive  motion  of  the  moon — 
From  the  j)lanets — Placed  in  interstellar  space,  we  should  be  in  utter  darkness — 
Light  reveals  all  things,  but  is  itself  invisible Page  338 

Teachings.  A  help  to  apprehend  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit — Bodily  sense 
incapable  of  discerning  spiritual  existence— The  Spirit  invisible,  but  reveals  all — 
Imparts  correct  views  of  the  truth — Of  the  law  of  God — Of  man's  character— Of  the 
Saviour  and  his  oflSces — Exhibits  all  things  in  anew  light — Himself  cannot  be  seen, 
or  heard,  or  felt — Remains  a  glorious  mystery Page  342 

ANALOGY   XVI. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  nature,  falling  upon  defective  organs  of  vision,  is  obstructed 
and  fails  to  confer  its  full  advantages — so  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
falling  upon  perverse  minds,  is  opjwsed  and  fails  to  impart  the  fulness  of  its 
blessings. 

Phenomena  and  Teachings.    The  eye  subject  to  many  diseases  and  injuries 


CONTENTS.  23 

— So  is  the  mental  eye — Comparison  of  the  Great  Teacher — The  sound  eye — The 
near-sighted  eye— The  cobwebbed  eye — The  color-blind  eye — The  jaundiced  eye^ 
The  cataract  eye — EphjJiatha '. Page  347 

ANALOGY  XVII. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature,  in  passing  through  the  obscuration  of  an  eclipxe,  discloses  phys- 
ical wonders,  which  else  would  have  remained  invisible — so  the  iSun  of  Right- 
eousness, in  passing  through  the  darkness  of  the  tomb,  reveals  Divine  glories, 
which  otherwise  would  have  remained  unknown. 

Phenomena.  Eclipses  of  frequent  occurrence — Partial,  annular  and  total  eclipses 
defined — Total  eclipses  awe-inspiring  sights — Daily's  beads — The  corona  described 
— The  prominences,  sierras  and  flames  observed  on  the  sun — Those  of  1842  described 
— Those  of  1851,  as  observed  by  Prof.  Airy — The  phenomena  of  the  eclipse  of  1860 
— Those  of  1868  and  1809,  and  their  extraordinary  aspects — Stupendous  height  of 
flames — Rapid  and  surprising  changes— The  most  marvellous  ever  witnessed  de- 
pcribed  by  Prof.  Young — Generalconclusionsof  Secchi  andLockyer — All  unkuowa 
but  for  eclipses Page  360 

Teachings.  Symbols  of  a  grander  event — The  mysterious  eclipse  of  the  tomb — 
— Came  to  pass  according  to  a  determinate  plan — The  dread  and  ominous  darkness 
— The  revelations  made  in  the  Sun  of  Ilighteousness — The  glories  of  his  love  break 
forth — The  grandeur  of  his  atonement  displayed — The  seal  of  the  resurrection  and 
the  title-deed  to  eternal  life  exhibited  to  angels  and  men — The  tomb  of  nature  illumi- 
nated by  the  tomb  of  Christ Page  378 

ANALOGY  XVIIL 

As  the  Sun  of  nature,  after  having  been  eclipsed,  continues  to  shed  its  light  as  before 
upon  the  dark  and  desolate  orb  of  the  moon  that  had  invaded  its  glories — so  the 
Sun  of  Eighteottsness,  after  his  eclipse  in  the  darkness  of  the  tomb,  ceased  riot  to 
pour  his  gracious  light  on  the  ungrateful  race  that  had  crucified  and  slain  him. 

Phenomena.  Superstitious  ideas  of  eclipses — Regarded  as  miraculous  occur- 
rences— A  battle  of  the  Medes  and  Persians  arrested  bj'  an  eclipse — Xerxes  an<i 
Pericles  alarmed  by  an  eclij)se — Hindoo  nocjons  of  an  eclipse — Scene  at  Tripoli 
during  a  total  eclii)se — A  correct  understanding  saves  from  groundless  fears— The 
intrinsic  brilliancj'  of  the  Sun  not  affected  by  an  eclipse — The  darkness  at  the  cruci- 
fixion not  a  natural  eclipse— Eclijise  of  the  moon  on  that  evening — A  ))rophecy 
thereby  fulfilled Page  383 

Teachings.  The  parallel — Eclijise  of  the  totnb  \wought  no  change  in  Christ — 
The  love  and  purpose  of  his  heart  still  the  same — Still  loved  and  pitied  liis  enemies 
— "Beginning  at  Jerusalem" — Loved  and  pitied  our  ungrateful  race — "(Joj)reach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature  "—His  love  unquenchable Page  390 


24  CONTENTS. 

PART   THIRD. 

THE  SUN  AS  THE  SOURCE   OF  HEAT. 

ANALOGY  I.       • 
As  the  Solar  Orb  is  the  fountain  from  whence  the  whole  si/stem  of  nature  derives  its 
vivifying  heat — so  Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  the  source  from  whence  the 
whole  system  of  revealed  religion  derives  its  spiritual  vitality. 

Phenomena.  As  the  light,  so  the  heat  of  the  Sun,  full  of  instruction — The 
earth's  heat  all  derived  from  the  Sun — Our  world  once  a  molten  globe — Illuminat- 
ing and  heating  rays  combined  in  the  sunbeam — The  power  of  invisible  rays  brought 
to  a  focus — Burning  glasses  fusing  metals — Archimedes  at  the  siege  of  Syracuse — 
Herschel's  calculation  of  the  total  solar  heat  falling  on  the  earth — Pouillet's  esti- 
mate of  the  same — Tyndall's  illustration  of  the  amount  of  heat  required  to  evapo- 
rate water — This  applied  to  rivers,  glaciers  and  polar  snows — The  Sun  the  life  of 
our  world -Page  394 

Teachings.  What  the  Sun  is  to  nature,  Christ  is  to  the  Bible,  to  religion — 
Christ  the  life  of  its  doctrines — Of  its  ordinances — Of  its  graces — Of  its  duties — Of 
its  happiness — Heligion  without  Christ  can  have  no  existence Page  401 

ANALOGY  IL 

At  the  origination  and  permanence  of  the  Sun's  heat,  for  the  benefit  of  the  planetary 
system,  are  inexplicable  to  human  science — so  the  incentive  and  perpetuity  of 
the  love  of  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  for  the  race  of  man,  are  past  all 
human  understanding. 

Phenomena.  The  total  amount  of  heat  thrown  out  by  the  solar  globe— Its 
intrinsicheat— Computation  of  this  made  by  Pouillet,  Ilerschel,  and  Tyndall— How 
originated  this  great  heat?— Plausible  hypothesis— How  has  the  solar  heat  been 
sustained  and  perpetuated  ?— Several  answers  projmsed- The  cooling  theory— The 
combustion  theory— The  contraction  theory— The  friction  theory— The  meteoric 
theory— Calculations  respecting  the  fall  and  concussion  of  the  planets— The  theory 
of  electric  excitation— The  subject  baffling  to  all  science— Solar  conditions  widely 
different  from  terrestrial— The  problem  unsolved Page  404 

Teachings.  Type  of  a  greater  mystery  in  the  Sun  of  Righteousness— The  love 
of  Christ  without  beginning  or  end— Ilis  foresight  of  the  world's  history— His 
anticipation  of  man's  redemption— Forsakes  heaven  and  the  bosom  of  the  Father- 
Assumes  the  nature  of  man— Chooses  a  condition  of  jmverty— Endures  the  ingrati- 
tude, injustice,  and  cruelty  of  sinners— Dies  upon  the  cross— Mystery  of  mysteries 
—What  awakened  and  sustained  this  amazing  love?— The  eternal  and  boundless 
benignity  of  his  nature— God  is  love ^"17^  419 

ANALOGY  III. 

As  the  Suv's  warm  beams  are  the  origin  of  all  material  energy  and  motion  on  the 

face  of  the  earth— so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  the  origin  of  all  spiritual  life 

and  activity  in  the  world  of  mankind. 

Phenomena- The  centennial  exhibition— Machinery  Hall— The  Corliss  engine 

the  one  moving  power  of  all— So  the  Sun  of  all  terrestrial  machinery  -The  Sun 


CONTENTS.  25 

the  power  that  produces  every  breeze,  and  wind,  and  tempest  in  the  atmosphere — 
That  creates  every  current  and  commotion  in  the  ocean — That  perpetuates  the  flow 
of  every  river,  and  spring,  and  fountain — That  clotlies  every  plain  with  verdure 
and  every  field  with  corn — Tiiat  imparts  strength  and  activity  to  every  beast  and 
bird — That  drives  every  mill,  and  furnace,  and  factory — That  feeds,  and  clothes, 
and  comforts  man — And  this,  not  as  the  eflBcieut  but  instrumental  cause — The 
solar  and  every  other  energy  ultimately  derived  from  the  will-power  of  the  Al- 
mighty  Page  426 

Teachings.  So  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  the  origin  of  all  motion  and  energy 
in  the  world  of  mind — Apart  from  Christ  all  are  dead — He  is  the  life  and  power  of 
the  renewed  soul — The  life  and  power  of  the  church — The  eflective  energy  for  all 
moral  good — From  him  flows  the  river  of  life Page  434 

ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  Sun's  warm  rays,  though  adapted  and  designed  to  minister  to  the  welfare 
of  the  ^chole  living  world,  yet  sometimes  creates  storms  and  whirlwinds  that 
spread  destruction  far  and  wide; — so  the  divine  teachings  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, though  designed,  and  fitted  to  promote  and  secure  the  best  interests 
of  the  whole  hum'in  race,  yet  sometimes  excite  hatred  and  persecution  that 
spread  and  devastate  whole  kingdoms. 

Phenomena.  The  Sun,  though  a  universal  benefactor,  yet  creates  storms — Ve- 
locity and  force  of  winds — The  great  storm  of  1703,  in  England — Whirlwinds,  how 
prodiieeil — Tornadoes  in  the  United  States— Hurricanes  in  the  West  Indies — Hurri- 
canes ill  liuli.i — Simoons  in  Northern  Africa — Fate  of  the  army  of  Cauibyses — Of 
Alexanvler — Simoon  in  Southern  Palestine  described — Such  storms  not  altogether  evil 
in  their  eill-cts— The  deliverance  wrought  for  Grenada  by  a  tornado — The  jiestilenee 
swejit  from  England  by  a  tempest — Sanitary  effects  of  hurricanes  in  South  America 
— Partial  evil,  general  good Page  437 

Teachings.  Similar  results  in  the  moral  world — Christ  the  friend  of  universal 
humanity— His  doctrines  and  precepts  all  true  and  good- -Designed  to  restore  the 
reign  of  Love— Enmity  of  the  carnal  mind  -Persecution  of  himself  and  ajmstles  by 
the  Jews — Heathen  incentives  to  ))ersecntion — Nero's  persecution — His  successors 
follow  his  example- Millions  perish — Persecutions  of  the  Church  of  Rome — Massa- 
cres in  France — Martyrdoms  in  England — Bloodshed  in  Ireland— Cliristianity  the 
occasion,  not  the  cause— Good  brought  out  of  evil— Shining  examples  of  faith,  for- 
titude, and  devotion Page  450 

ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature,  by  the  simple  power  of  his  warm  beams,  overcomes  all  the  rigor 
and  rciilstunce  of  winter,  to  clothe  the  earth  with  the  verdure  and  fruits  of  sum- 
mer ; — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  by  the  gentle  po7ver  of  his  lore,  is  to  overcome 
all  the  haired  and  opposition  of  enemies,  and  overspread  the  world  with  the 
saving  truth-  and  peaceable  fruits  of  his  Gospel. 

Phknomi^na.  Voyagers  in  a  balloon  or  in  a  ship's  cabin  unconscious  of  motion 
— So  we  are  unconscious  of  the  earth's  motion — The  earth  further  from  the  Sun  in 
summer  than  in  winter — Revolution  of  the  seasons  ex])lained — Dreariness  of  win- 
ter— Return  of  summer  as  an  enchanting  miracle Page  464 


26  CONTENTS. 

Teachings.  A  greater  miracle  to  be  wrought  in  the  moral  world — The  change 
incredible  to  an  inhabitant  of  a  sinless  world — A  new  element  of  power  introduced 
by  the  cross — What  this  has  done,  a  pledge  of  what  it  will  accomplish — Its  power 
irresistible — Sure  promises  of  its  final  triumph Page  468 

ANALOGY  VI. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature,  by  its  warm  beams,  draws  upward  the  vapors  from,  the  sea 
and  land,  to  be  condensed  and  presently  returned  in  refreshing  showers  on  the 
heated  plains  and  thirsty  fields ; — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  warming  the 
hearts  of  his  people,  draws  Jorth  their  prayers  and  supplications,  to  return,  in 
due  time,  in  gracious  effusions  upon  their  own  souls  and  upon  those  of  others. 

Phenomena.  Rain  the  product  of  marvellous  contrivances — Evaporation  :  con- 
ditions necessary  for  it — Requires  the  expenditure  of  stujiendous  power — Conden- 
sation, how  effected — Vapors  broken  up  into  distinct  clouds — Beauty  and  benefit 
of  this  arrangement — Transportation  of  the  clouds — How  made  to  release  their 
watery  contents — These  discharged  in  gentle  showers — The  advantages  of  this 
method Page  473 

Teachings.  Beautiful  imagery  of  Divine  Grace — Prayers  drawn  forth  under 
the  influence  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — All  true  prayer  assured  of  an  answer — 
Grace  bestowed  in  proportion  to  the  prayer  offered — Instances  in  Bible  characters 
and  modern  reformers — Revivals  preceded  by  much  prayer — Examples  from  Scrij)- 
ture  history  and  modern  times— Without  prayer,  the  church  as  tlie  eartli  without 
rain Page  479 

ANALOGY  Vn. 

As  the  warm  rays  of  the  Sun,  while  they  are  stimulating  and  strengthening  the 
plants  and  flowers  of  the  field  through  the  hours  of  the  day,  are  at  the  same  time 
preparing  the  dews  that  are  to  refresh  them  through  the  watches  of  the  night  ; — so 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  while  he  is  quickening  and  instruct- 
ing his  people  in  their  brighter  days,  is  at  the  same  time  fostering  the  graces  that 
are  to  cheer  and  sustain  them,  in  the  darker  seasons  of  age  and  adversity. 

Phknomena.  Dew-drops,  when  formed — Notions  of  the  Alcliyniists — How  dew 
is  formed — Radiation  of  lieat — This  dependent  on  botli  color  and  contexture — Each 
s]iecies  of  j)lant  has  its  own  peculiar  power  of  radiation — Green  the  prevailing  color, 
its  advantages — When  dew  is  most  and  least  copious — Dew  on  Ilermon — Wisdom 
and  beneficence  of  the  Divine  arrangements Page  4S6 

Teachings.  Dews  of  grace — Admirable  provisions — Piety  a  growth  in  the 
heart— IIow  nourished  and  promoted — Faith,  love,  and  hope  daily  strengthened 
— These  sustain  and  comfort  when  night  comes  on,  and  the  world  fades  from 
view Page  4D2 

ANALOGY   VIII. 

As  the  trees,  plants,  and  floioers  that  have  their  home  more  directly  under  the  Sun's 
rays  exceed  in  luxuriance,  fruitfulness,  and  beauty  those  that  have  their  habita- 
tion in  regions  more  remote, — so  the  Souls  that  livemore  immediately  beneath  the 
Sun  of  Righfeonsness  excel  in  spiritual  vigor,  fruits  of  grace,  and  beauty  of 
holiness  those  who  are  content  to  live  at  a  greater  distance. 


CONTENTS.  27 

Phenomena.  Influence  of  climate  on  vegetation— Vegetation  of  the  Arctic 
Regions — Of  Northern  Europe — Of  Sweden  and  Denmark — Of  France,  Germany, 
and  parallel  countries — Of  Southern  Europe — Of  the  Tropical  countries— The  rich- 
ness and  magnificence  of  Brazilian  scenes — Luxuriance  and  fruitfuhiess  of  the 
Torrid  Zone — Brilliancy  of  foliage,  flowers,  and  plumage — Long  scale  and  great 
contrast Page  495 

Teachings.  The  parallel — Religion  has  its  polar,  intermediate,  and  equatorial 
climes — Gradation  in  plants  of  piety — Arctic  piety,  h6w  accounted  for — Temperate 
Zone  piety,  described — Tropical  piety —  Examples  and  illustrations  of  the  last — 
Attainable  only  beneath  the  warm  and  luminous  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness   Page  501 

ANALOGY  IX. 

As  the  Sun's  warm  rays  may  be  conveyed  and  converged  through  a  lens  with  melt- 
ing or  consuming  power  to  objects  beyond,  while  the  temperature  of  that  lens 
itself  remains  unchanged  ; — so  the  quickening  truth  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
may  be  communicated  by  a  speaker  or  a  writer  with  softeniyig  and  saving  power 
to  others,  while  he  himself  remains  unchanged  and  uninfluenced  by  that  truth. 

Phenomena.  Transparency  to  light  and  heat— Substances  transparent  to  one, 
not  to  the  other — Pure  dry  air  not  warmed  by  the  Sun — Tyudall's  experience  on 
Mount  Blanc — Clear  glass  not  heated  in  the  sunshine — Proof  from  poweriul  lenses 
— Effects  produced  by  a  lens  of  ice — Existing  transparency  and  opacity  of  different 
substances  evidences  of  wisdom  and  benevolence Page  513 

Teachings.  The  lesson — Transparency  and  opacity  to  Divine  truth — Bad  men 
often  employed  to  accomplish  great  good — "  Have  we  not  cast  out  devils  ?  " — Nature 
of  truth  not  changed  in  passing  through  unclean  lips — A  sinner  may  edify  saints — 
Illustrative  anecdote — The  born  blind  may  explain  the  laws  of  light — A  correct 
map  of  untravelled  roads — Self-deception  easy  and  common — Success  in  tlie  minis- 
try no  certain  evidence  of  a  state  of  grace Page  518 

ANALOGY  X. 

As  the  Sun  of  Nature,  in  drawing  upward  the  vapors  that  are  to  form  the  fleecy 
clouds  on  high,  separates  and  leaves  behind  every  particle  of  the  gross  materials 
with  which,  as  vmter,  they  had  been  connected, — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  when 
he  lifts  the  souls  of  his  redeemed  to  the  skies,  divests  them  of  all  the  corruption 
with  which  they  had  been  affected  in  the  body,  so  that  they  ascend  pure  and 
stainless  to  dwell  iii  his  presence. 

Phenomena.  No  pure  water  on  the  face  of  the  earth — Its  impurities  some- 
times visible,  sometimes  invisible — Sparkling  water  often  impregnated  with  min- 
erals— Waters  of  Marah — The  purest  streams  yet  found — Water  siij)])lies  of  great 
cities — Water  of  inland  seas — Analysis  of  ocean  water — The  vapors  free  from  all 
impurities— Great  importance  of  this — Salty  rain— Ciniretious  rain — Red,  yellow, 
and  black  rains — Extraordinary  atmospheric  disturbance — Existing  meteorological 
arrangements  worthy  of  devout  admiration J^''gc  523 

Teachings.  "  Waters  "  a  fi^'nratlve  term  for  multitudes,  peo|)]es--Th(>se  drawn 
upward  by  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  leave  behind  all  impurities— lie  came  to  de- 
liver from  sin — At  death,  the  last  stain  wiped  away— Death  a  groat  giiiu  to  the 
Christian J\aje  531 


28  CONTENTS. 

PART   FOURTH. 

THE  SUN  AS  THE  SOURCE  OF  ACTINISM. 

ANALOGY  I. 

As  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Nature  descend  with  threefold  power,  and  not  only  illu- 
minate and  heat,  but  also  work  a  change  in  the  constitution  of  the  stcbstances 
upon  which  they  fall ; — so  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  not  only  en- 
lighten and  warm,  but  regenerate  the  souls  into  which  they  enter. 

Phenomena.  Three  rays  combined  in  the  sunbeam — Light,  heat,  and  actinism 
— The  prismatic  range  of  each — ^Actinic  rays  proved  by  their  eflfects — Produce 
change  of  colors  and  combinations — Effects  on  gases  and  solutions — Foliage, 
flowers,  and  maps  copied  by  means  of — Photography,  and  its  various  applications — 
Microscopic  photography — Volumes  and  libraries  reduced  to  a  small  compass — How 
employed  during  the  siege  of  Paris — Rapidity  of  the  Sun's  chemistry — Birds  taken 
on  the  wing — Sunbeam  affects  all  things Page  534 

Teachings.  So  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness — Transforming  power 
of  his  truth  may  be  intercepted — Fitted  to  change  all — Seen  only  in  its  fruits— Pro- 
duces pearls  of  grace — Dissolves  affinity  for  sin,  and  creates  for  holiness — Renews 
and  sanctifies — Profitable  for  all  states  and  occupations — Materialism  silenced,  and 
faith  strengthened Page  544 

ANALOGY  XL 

As  the  chemical  action  of  the  Sun  varies  with  the  progress  of  the  seasons,  to  meet  the 
varying  requirements  of  vegetation,  from  its  germination  to  its  maturity ; — so 
the  gracious  influences  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  vary  according  to  the  wants 
and  circumstnnces  of  his  followers,  from  the  day  of  their  spiritual  birth  to  that 
of  their  fidl  fruition  in  the  kingdom  of  glory. 

Phenomena.  Uniformity  of  natural  forces — Yet  one  force  modifies  the  action 
of  anotlier — Solar  forces  modified  by  tlie  atmosphere — Actinic  force  varies  with  the 
Sun's  altitude — Media  for  intercepting  light,  or  heat,  or  actinism — Respective  in- 
fluence of  these  on  vegetation — Interesting  experiments— Actinic  rays  specially 
concerned  in  the  germination  of  plants  — Luminous  rays  in  their  growth  and  color- 
ing— Heat  rays  in  maturing  and  ripening  their  fruit — Marvellous  adaptations  herein 
displayed  Page  548 

Teachings.  The  parallel  in  the  kingdom  of  grace — Parable  of  the  seed  grow- 
ing secretly — Correspondence  of  the  three  statres  of  nature  to  the  three  stnges  of 
grace — Tlie  Christian  in  the  state  represenied  by  the  "  blade" — In  that  indicated 
by  the  "ear"— In  that  described  as  "  the  full  coru  in  the  ear" Page  556 


CONTENTS.  29 


PART    FIFTH. 

THE  SUN  AS   A   MAGNETIC  CENTRE. 
ANALOGY. 

As  the  globe  of  the  earth  is  ever  in  magnetic  sympathy  xcith  that  of  the  Sun; — so  the 
church,  or  body  of  believers,  is  ever  in  loving  sympathy  with  Christ  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 

Phenomena.  Discovery  of  the  lodestone — Invention  of  the  compass — The  lode- 
slone  arranging  iron  filings — Suspended,  ever  turns  in  one  direction — Magnetism 
excited,  not  imparted — Nature  of  magnetism  not  understood — A  universal  force — 
Concerned  in  the  formation  of  crystals  and  metallic  veins — Pervades  vegetable  and 
animal  substances — The  globe  a  great  magnet — Influenced  by  the  magnetism 
of  the  Sun — Evidence  of  this  from  various  oscillations  of  the  needle — From 
solar  spots— Magnetic  storms — Extraordinary  auroras — All  prove  the  earth  in 
magnetic  symj)athy  with  the  Sun — The  whole  universe  the  product  of  one 
mind Page  563 

Teachings.  The  spiritual  parallel — Each  regenerate  soul,  and  therefore  the 
whole  church,  in  sympathy  with  Christ — In  his  grief — In  his  tears — In  his  joy — 
In  his  desire  to  save  the  world — A  stranger  to  this  sympathy,  a  stranger  to 
him Page  574. 


PART   SIXTH. 

THE   SUN  AS  THE  CENTRE   OF  GRAVITATION. 
ANALOGY  L 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation  is  the  ruling  force  that  continues  the  revolutions  and 
ensures  the  safety  of  the  planetary  system  ;—so  the  love  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness is  the  efficient  power  that  perpetuates  the  activity  and  guarantees  the  safety 
of  the  church. 

Phenomena.  Solitude  of  the  solar  system— The  bodies  that  compose  it — The 
power  that  rules  it — Gravitation  in  proportion  to  mass — Mass  of  the  Sun  and 
planets— Planets  guided  by  two  forces — These  illustrated— Bodies  attract  each 
other  inversely  as  the  square  of  their  distances — Many  other  laws  possible — This 
only  could  ensure  safety  and  harmony — The  evils  that  would  result  from  a  change 
of  this  law  — Existing  law  superior  to  any  other  conceivable— Hence  a  clear 
evidence  of  Intelligence  in  its  choice Page  577 

Teachings.  The  same  principle  discernible  in  the  spiritual  as  in  the  natural 
system — Like  gravitation,  the  love  of  Ciirist  the  ruling  power — To  this,  not  its 
own,  the  soul  owes  its  safety— This  witlidrawn,  it  would  become  a  wandering  star 
— The  cross  is  the  centre  of  gravitation — Its  attractive  influence  described — A 
power  adequate  to  overcome  all  others — Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ? PageSSi 


30  CONTENTS. 

ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation  is  instantnneous  and  unremitting  in  its  action  upon  all 
the  globes  of  the  system;— so  the  love  of  the  San  of  Righteousness  is  in- 
stantaneous and  unremitting  in  its  exercise  towards  every  member  of  his 
church. 

Phenomena.  What  is  gravitation  ? — Various  theories — Gravitation  knows  no 
obstacles — Instantaneous  in  its  action — Implies  both  creation  and  annihilation — 
Examples  and  illustrations  of  this — Theory  of  Le  Sage  and  Thomson — Its  futility 
— None  other  than  the  will  power  of  the  Almighty... Page  589 

Teachings.  Instructive  mystery — Love  of  Christ,  like  gravitation,  instan- 
taneous— Ever  present — Exercised  impartially — Cannot  be  intercepted  or  impeded 
— Not  divided  by  numbers — Not  enfeebled  by  time — Mystery  no  greater  objection 
to  religion  than  to  science — Must  become  as  little  children Page  595 

ANALOGY  IIL 

As,  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  gravitation,  the  nearer  a  planet's  orbit  is  to  the  Sun 

the  swifter  its  motion  around  him  ; — so,  in  virtue  of  the  law  of  love,  the  nearer 

the  Christian's  path  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the  greater  the  speed  and 

delight  with  tvhich  he  runs  in  it. 

Phenomena.     Early  views  of  the  celestial  motions — Those  of  Pythagoras  and 

Aristarchus — Theory  of   Ptolemy — Copernicus,  Kepler  and  Galileo  establish  the 

true  theory — The  theory  of  Vortices — Newton's  demonstration   of  the  planetary 

motions — These  illustrated  by  means  of  a  cannon  ball — Exact  balance  of  centrifugal 

and  centripetal  forces — The  original  impulse  must  be  right  both  in  degree  and 

direction — Velocity  per  second  of  the  planets — Law  of  velocities — The  nearer  the 

Sun,  tiie  greater  tlie  speed , Page  COO 

Teachings.  The  mechanism  of  the  system  proclaims  its  Author — Its  distances 
and  velocities  typical  of  those  in  the  s])iritual  system — Some  Christians  like  the 
remoter  planets — Some  like  the  middle  })lanets — And  some  like  the  inner  jilanets 
— While  those  departed  are  as  translated  to  new  and  still  nearer  orbits — The 
nearer  to  Christ  the  greater  our  safety  as  well  as  activity — The  peril  of  yielding  to 
opposing  attraction — The  path  of  the  erratic  planet  a  solemn  warning Page  G09 

ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  S>i.7i  of  nature  guides  avd  controls  his  planetary  family,  not  by  pressure  or 

contact,  but  by  the  subtle  influence  of  his  gravity ; — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 

leads  and  governs  his  human  family,  not  by  force  or  constraint,  but  by  the 

attracting  influence  of  his  truth  ai\d  love. 

Phenomena,     ilan  the  inventor  of  many  things — But  borrows  his  materials — 

Takes  advantage  of  forces  already  in   oi)eration — God  the  author  of  tliese  as  well 

as  of  their  combinations — He  borrows  nothing — The  celestial    iiiacliinery  wholly 

different  from  man's  contrivances — Here  are  no  materia]  bomls  or  cuiiuections — All 

are  impelled  and  guided  by  invisible  jjower Page  G14 

Teachings.  So  iti  the  spiritual  system — Here  the  only  power  is  that  of  truth 
and  love — No  constraint  or  force  employed — Man  free  to  choose  or  reject — Every  man 
Conscious  of  this — Necessary  to  religion  and  accountability — The  gospel  assumes  it-- 
Appeals  to  reason  and  conscience  only — Man  answerable  for  his  l)e]ief — Free  in 
accepting  and  embracing  Christ— OfKce  of  tlie  Holy  Spirit — Man  free  from  first  to 
last Page  C17 


CONTENTS.  31 

ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  force  of  gravitation,  which  rules  in  the  system  of  nature,  is  so  evenly  and 

finely  balanced,  that  any  change  in  the  mass  or  distance  of  one  of  the  planets 

would  be  felt  at  the  centre  of  the  Sun; — so  the  love,  which  reigns  in  the  spiritual 

system,  is  so  delicate  and  infallible,  that  whatever  affects  the  condition  or  interest 

of  one  member  is  felt  at  the  heart  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

■    Phenomena.     Newton's  agitation  on  the  discovery  of  the  law  of  gravitation — 

The  momentous  conclusions  to  which  the  discovery  immediately  led — Weight  of  the 

earth  determined — Process  of  weighing  the  planets— Volume,  mass  and  density  of 

the  planets — The  attraction  of  the  Sun  and  each  planet  mutual — Any  increase  or 

decrease  in  the  mass  or  distance  of  a  planet  productive  of  a  corresponding  change 

in  its  attraction — Every  change  in  the  system  therefore  felt  at  the  centre  of  the 

Sun Page  623 

Teachings,  The  same  true  of  the  Sun  of  Eighteousness — Ilis  heart  alive  to  all 
that  affects  his  people — Ilis  relation  to  and  union  with  them — Makes  their  joys  and 
sorrows  his  joys  and  sorrows — Will  reward  iheir  benefactors  and  punish  their 
enemies Page  628 

ANALOGY  VL 

As  a  planet,  though  drawn  by  the  attraction  of  other  planets  to  this  or  that  side  of  its 

true  orbit,  will  yet  be  slowly  but  surely  brought  back  to  it  by  the  more  poxoerful 

gravitation  of  the  Sun ; — so  the  Christian,  though  drawn  by  the  influence  of 

other  men  to  this  or  that  side  of  the  straight  and  narrow  path,  will  surely  in  time 

be  restored  to  it  by  the  superior  attraction  of  the  Sun  of  Itighteousness. 

Phenomena.     The  mutual  perturbation  of  the  planets — The  most  difficult  of 

astronomical  j)roblems — Perturbations  of  orbits,  and  their  periods — Variations  of 

their  inclinations,  and  their  periods — Variations  of  eccentricities,  and  their  periods 

—Apprehension  awakened  by  the  discovery  of  these — ^The  alarm  vain,  as  all  had 

been  foreseen  and  provided  for — Proved  to  be   self  correcting — A  mathematical 

demonstration   of  omniscient  and  designing  Intelligence Page  632 

Teachings.  Every  force,  law  and  motion  has  its  lesson — Those  now  presented 
luminous  with  the  gospel— The  system  of  grace,  like  that  of  nature,  perfect  and 
unfailing — Every  position  and  relation  of  the  Christian,  like  those  of  the  planet, 
foreseen  and  provided  for — The  soul's  safety  dependent  on  the  attraction  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  not  its  own — May  deviate,  but  will  be  restored — "  Not  one 
faileth  " — Complete  corrective  provisions  possible  in  the  spiritual  luiiverse,  as  in 
the  material— The  cycles  of  these,  like  those,  may  be  "  ages  of  ages" — The  end 
glorious Page  039 

ANALOGY  VII. 

As  the  Sun,  by  his  all-pervading  gravitation,  brings  forward  all  the.  globes  of  the 
system  to  every  position  and  point  in  their  circuits,  at  the  exact  and  predicted 
moment ;— so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  by  his  all-embracing  providence,  brings 
forward  every  event  relating  to  his  church  and  the  world  at  the  precise  time 
afore  appointed. 

Phenomena.  The  action  of  gravitation  perfect — Subject  to  no  decay  or  varia- 
tion— Proof  of  this  from  solar  and  lunar  eclipses— From  the  orbital  revolutions  of 
the  planets— From  the  transits  of  Mercury  and  Venus — From  the  return  of  comets 
— The  comet  of  1680 — Halley's  comet — Other  comets  of  long  periods— The  intellect- 
ual achievements  of  man  evidences  of  his  immortality Page  646 


32  CONTENTS. 

Teachings.  Providence  a  parallel  to  gravitation— Prediction  fulfilled  a  con- 
clusive evidence  in  science  and  scripture — Prediction  of  the  deluge,  and  its  fulfil- 
ment— Concerning  the  division  of  the  earth  among  the  sons  of  Noah — Concerning 
the  bondage  in  Egypt— Concerning  the  sons  of  Jacob— Concerning  the  defection 
and  consequent  calamities  of  the  Jewish  nation — Concerning  the  destruction  of 
Nineveh,  Babylon,  and  Tyre — Concerning  the  four  great  empires— Concerning  the 
advent  and  crucifixion  of  the  Messiah — Providence,  like  gravitation,  unremitting 
and  infallible  over  all Page  C53 

ANALOGY  VIII. 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation,  light,  heat,  and  actinism,  having  in  their  outward  flow 

bathed  our  globe  on  every  side  with  their  vital  influences,  sweep  onward  slill,  in 

undiminished  fulness,  to  Jo  the  same  for  other  globes  that  roll  beyond  ; — so  the 

incarnation,   ministry,  and    atonement    of   the    Sun  of  Righteousness,   while 

profering  an  ample  and  suitable  provision  for  all  the  wants  and  woes  of  sinful 

humanity,  may  in  all  their  plentitude  of  grace,  pass  on  to  benefit  and  to  bless 

the  populations  of  other  worlds. 

Phenomena.    The  Sun  the  common  and  equal  benefactor  of  a  family  of  worlds 

— Performs  the  same  offices  for  the  other  planets  as  for  our  own — Hence  those 

planets,  like  our  own,  may  be  the  abodes  of  intelligences — The  analogies^  that 

support     this    supposition     stated — Confirmations     from     Scripture  —  Jehovah's 

empire Page  CSS 

Teachings.  The  spiritual  parallel — The  "healing  beams"  reacliing  other 
worlds — Much  known  of  the  Sun  of  Ilighteousness  before — A  new  attribute  re- 
vealed in  the  work  of  redemption — The  fall  of  man  known  to  angels— The  destruc- 
tion of  the  race  exi)ected — Manifestation  of  pity  and  grace  a  transjiorting  revelation 
—  Interested  observers  of  every  step  in  the  Saviour's  life — ^linistered  to  him  from 
the  cradle  to  the  grave — Their  triumph  when  all  was  finished — Tidings  carried  to 
all  intelligences- — Reports  of  angels  aTid  disembodied  souls — The  earth  the  Calvary 
of  the  universe — Glimpses  of  the  glorious  and  final  results Page  674 

ANALOGY  IX. 
As  the  Sun  himself,  in  obedience  to  the   universal  law  of  gravity,  is  in  motion,  and 
carries  with  him  the  luhole  planetary  system  along  an  orbit  so  vast  as  to  require 
for  its  completion  a  period  beyond  all  human  comprehension  ; — so  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  in  virtue  of  his  everlasting  love,  will  lead  onward  his  ransomed 
hosts  along  a  cycle  of  ages  beyond  the  enumeration  of  men  or  of  angels. 
Phenomena.     Discovery  of  spots  on  the  Sun — Of  its  axial  rotation— Its  motion 
through   space  thence   inferred — This  proved  by  Herschel   and  others — The  star 
regions  through  which  it  is  travelling — Tiie  centre  about  which  it  revolves--Its 
rate  of  motion  and  period — The  germ  of  this  grand  truth  found  in  tlie  Scrip- 
ture  Page  C80 

Teachings.  The  general  assembly  of  the  saints— Seen  of  John — The  spirit- 
ual food  and  drink  promised  and  provided — Superior  knowledge  in  the  future  state — 
New  faculties  for  acquiring  knowledge — The  Redeemer  himself  their  Teacher — Crea- 
tion their  field  of  study — Accompanied  by  angels  in  visits  to  other  worlds — Variety 
and  multiplicity  of  wonders  in  each  globe — Systemsand  galaxies  innumerable  before 
them — Immensity  of  the  universe — What  progress  in  knowledge  and  wisdom  made 
in  the  course  of  countless  ages — Apostro|>he  to  the  doubter — Greater  things  already 
done — The  soul  a  magnificent  being — Parting  word  to  the  reader Page  685 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


IMMEDIATELY  upon  the  fall  of  our  unhappy 
progenitors,  Adam  and  Eve,  and  ere  yet  the 
gates  of  the  forfeited  paradise  had  closed 
behind  them,  the  Most  High  graciously 
made  known  to  them  that  the  purpose  of 
his  heart  concerning  them  was  still  a  pur- 
pose of  mercy ;  a  Vanquisher  of  the  serpent 
was  promised ;  in  the  fullness  of  time,  "  the 
Seed  of  the  woman  should  bruise  the 
serpent's  head,"  and  paradise  be  regained. 

The  character  of  this  coming  Deliverer,  and  the  nature 
of  the  victory  he  was  to  achieve,  however,  Avere  not  fully 
announced  at  once,  but  gradually  as  men  were  able 
to  receive  the  revelation;  at  first  in  general  promises  or 
prefigu rations,  then  by  types  and  ceremonies  of  various 
kinds,  and  finally  through  clearer  symbols  and  more 
explicit  predictions. 

The  objects  chosen  as  types  and  symbols  of  the 
promised  Saviour  were  many  and  various;  some  being 
designed  to  point  out  particular  features  in  his  character 
as  a  Divine  Messenger,  others  to  refer  to  his  works  of 
mercy  and  love,  and  others  still  to  his  sufferings  as  an 
atonin<r  sacrifice.    Hence  some  were  of  a  more  limited  and 

3  (33) 


34  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

some  of  a  more  extended  signific.ince  than  others.  Thej 
were,  moreover,  taken  from  every  province  of  nature, 
animate  and  inanimate;  the  bleeding  Zam6,  the  falling 
Manna,  the  gushing  Roch,  the  Brazen  Serpent,  the  Rose 
of  Sharon,  the  Lion  of  JudaJi,  the  odoriferous  Incense, 
the  fruitful  Vine,  the  morning  Star,  etc.  But  of  all  the 
Types  and  Symbols  employed  in  the  sacred  volume  to 
represent  the  advent  of  the  Blessed  Messiah  the  most 
instructive  and  sublime  is  Tlie  Rising  of  the  Sun  upon 
a  world  wrapped  in  darkness.  No  symbol  could  be  more 
significant  or  appropriate  than  this  to  prefigure  the  ap- 
pearing of  him  who  should  come  to  rescue  the  benighted 
and  lost,  to  restore  sight  to  the  blind  and  liberty  to  the 
captive,  to  give  to  the  sorrowing  beauty  for  ashes,  the 
oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  garments  of  praise 
for  the  spirit  of  heaviness ;  for  the  Rising  Sun  is  the 
source  of  light  and  life,  the  hope  of  the  lost  in  darkness, 
the  guide  of  the  erring,  the  comfort  and  the  joy  of 
all.  Hence  the  frequent  use  of  this  image  by  the  sacred 
writers. 

"Unto  you  that  fear  my  name,"  says  the  prophet 
Malachi,  "shall  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise  with 
healing  in  his  wings." 

Isaiah,  who  by  way  of  distinction  has  been  styled  the 
Evangelical  Prophet,  likewise  employs  the  same  sub- 
lime symbol  in  addressing  the  church  of  his  day  concern- 
ing the  hope  of  Israel :  "  The  Redeemer  shall  come  to 
Zion,  and  unto  them  that  turn  from  transgression  in 
Jacob,  saith  the  Lord.  Behold  the  darkness  shall  cover 
the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people ;  but  the  Lord 
shall  Arise  upon  thee,  and  his  glory  shall  be  seen  upon 
thee :  and  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  Light,  and 
kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  Rising." 

The  same   inspired   Seer  carried  forward  in  the  spirit 


THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL.  35 

of  prophecy,  speaks  of  this  event,  in  another  place,  as  if 
already  accomplished :  "Arise,  shine ;  for  thy  Light  is 
come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  Risen  upon  thee :  the 
Lord  shall  be  unto  thee  an  everlasting  Light,  and  thy 
God  thy  glory :  thy  Sun  shall  no  more  go  down." 

Thus  under  the  glorious  figure  of  the  "Rising  Sun" 
did  the  prophets  proclaim  the  advent  of  Messiah ;  and 
under  the  same  image  did  those  hail  him  whose  happi- 
ness it  was  to  welcome  his  appearing.  The  devout 
Sim9on,  coming  into  the  temple  at  that  happy  hour,  took 
the  Holy  Child  Jesus  up  in  his  arms,  and  said,  "  Lord,  now 
lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  thy  Salvation,  which  thou  hast  prepared 
before  the  face  of  all  people;  a  Light  to  lighten  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel." 

So  the  Evangelist:  "There  was  a  man  sent  from  God, 
whose  name  was  John.  Tiie  same  came  for  a  witness,  to 
bear  witness  of  the  Light,  that  all  men  through  him 
might  believe.  He  was  not  that  Light,  but  was  sent  to 
bear  witness  of  that  Light.  That  was  the  true  Light 
M'hicli  ligliteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world." 

And  Christ  himself,  once  and  again,  in  his  addresses  to 
the  Jews,  claims  and  appropriates  this  symbol  as  his  own  : 
"  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world."  Again,  "  I  am  come  a 
Light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me 
should  not  abide  in  darkness."  Again,  "  Yet  a  little  while 
is  the  Light  w^ithyou  ;  walk  while  ye  have  the  Light,  lest 
darkness  come  upon  you."  Again,  "  While  ye  have  the 
Light,  believe  in  the  Light,  that  ye  may  be  the  children 
of  Light." 

From  these  and  other  passages  we  see  what  prominence, 
what  pre-eminence,  indeed,  is  given  in  Scripture  to  Light, 
and  to  the  Sun,  the  great  fountain  of  light,  as  a  Sijmhol 
of  Christ  the  Sun  of  Rin-hteousness.     This  was  the  last 


36  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Type  chosen  by  the  prophets,  and  it  was  the  loftiest,  for 
the  whole  realm  of  nature  could  supply  them  with  no 
higher  or  sublimer.  Of  all  visible  objects  the  "  Sun  "  is 
the  most  worthy  emblem  of  the  Great  Supreme ;  of  all 
events  within  the  reach  of  human  observation  the  "  Ris- 
ing Sun  "  is  the  most  adequate  representation  of  the  ap- 
pearing of  the  Son  of  God  upon  the  earth ;  and  of  all 
created  properties,  those  of  the  Sun,  Light  and  Heat  and 
Attraction,  offer  the  most  striking  and  instructive 
analogies  of  the  character  and  offices  of  Christ,  as  the 
Saviour  of  mankind.  And  to  these  analogies  the  reader's 
attention  is  invited  in  the  following  pages. 


PART   FIRST, 

THE  SUN  AS  THE  PRIMARY  GLOBE. 


ANALOGY   I. 

As  the  Sun  is  the  centre,  the  light  and  the  life  of  the  system  of  Creation — 
so  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Biyhteousness,  is  the  centre,  the  light  and  the  life 
of  the  system  of  Revelation. 


Phenomena. 


F  all  objects  in  the  visible  universe  there  is 
none  whose  splendor  is  so  great,  whose 
revolutions  are  so  grand,  and  whose  benign 
influences  are  so  widespread  and  generally 
appreciated,  as  the  Sun.  Every  year, 
every  season,  every  day,  this  glorious  Orb 
pours  down  upon  the  Earth  its  warm  and 
animating  beams,  dispelling  the  shades  of 
night,  diftusing  joy  and  gladness  among  its 
teeming  populations,  and  ministering  in  a  thousand  ways 
to  the  well-being  of  all  its  sentient  and  organized  exist- 
ences. 

The  Sun,  as  all  at  this  day  know,  is  the  centre  of  a 
vast  system  of  worlds,  of  which  our  own  is  one.  This 
system  is  composed  of  eight  superior  planets,  to  which 
belong  some  twenty  satellites  or  moons,  and  of  more  than 
two  hundred  inferior  planets  or  asteroids.     To  all  these 

(37) 


38  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

are  to  be  added  a  great  but  unknown  number  of  comets. 
The  Earth  ranks  with  the  class  called  superior  planets, 
some  of  which  are  smaller  than  it,  and  some  much 
larger;  and  two  of  them  revolve  nearer  to  the  Sun,  while 
all  the  rest  move  at  greater  distances  froin  him. 

Our  globe,  then,  is  a  member  of  a  Family  of  Worlds, 
having  its  position  in  the  midst  of  the  household.  Now, 
in  a  Family,  whether  we  take  the  term  in  its  scientific,  or 
in  its  social  import,  we  always  expect,  and,  in  fact, 
always  find  "family  resemblance."  And  this  is  true  of 
the  planetary  family ;  here  we  discover  the  most  striking 
resemblance  among  all  the  members,  so  far  as  human 
observation  can  reach,  in  their  forms  and  motions  and 
characters.  The  points  of  similarity  in  these  respects  are 
so  numerous  and  striking  between  the  planet  we  occupy 
and  the  rest  of  the  larger  planets,  that  we  are  naturally 
and  almost  irresistibly  led  to  the  conclusion  that  these 
must  have  been  created  to  subserve  also  the  same  purpose 
as  our  own,  namely,  to  be  the  homes  of  so  many  intelli- 
gent populations.  A  mere  summary  of  these  points  of 
likeness  will  serve  both  to  prove  and  illustrate  this. 

To  the  Earth  the  Creator  has  given  "  two  great  lights  ;" 
and  for  the  planets  he  has  done  the  same  thing;  to  all 
of  them  he  has  given  the  Sun  to  rule  the  day,  and  to 
several  of  them  moons  to  rule  the  night.  The  Earth 
perpetually  travels  round  the  Sun,  and  the  time  occupied 
in  accomplishing  a  complete  circuit  constitutes  its  year : 
the  planets  revolve  around  him  in  a  similar  manner,  and 
thus  measure  out  their  respective  years.  The  Earth 
turns  round  upon  itself,  thus  with  each  rotation  present- 
ing every  part  of  its  circumference  to  the  light  and  heat 
of  the  Sun :  the  planets  are  found  to  do  the  same,  and  to 
enjoy  a  similar  alternation  of  light  and  darkness.  The 
Earth  revolves  in  an  elliptical  orbit,  and  upon  an  inclined 


THE   SOLAR  SYSTEM 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  41 

axis;  an  arrangement  which  gives  it  a  variety  of 
climates  and  a  regular  succession  of  seasons :  the  planets 
revolve  in  similar  orbits,  and  upon  axes  similarly  in- 
clined, which  secure  to  them  a  like  difference  of  climates, 
and  the  same  agreeable  vicissitudes  of  seasons.  The 
Earth  is  encompassed  by  an  atmosphere  which  refracts 
the  light  and  retains  the  heat  of  the  Sun  :  the  planets 
likewise,  at  least  some  of  them,  have  their  atmospheres, 
creating  for  them  morning  and  evening  twilight,  and 
producing  currents  or  winds  that  sweep  over  their  sur- 
faces. The  atmosphere  of  the  Earth  is  charged  more  or 
less  with  clouds,  which  often  assume  every  shade  of  color, 
change  their  forms  and  positions,  and  send  down  refresh- 
ing showers :  the  atmospheres  of  the  planets  also  have 
their  shifting  clouds  of  various  shades  and  tints,  and 
which  may  minister  to  them,  as  ours  to  us,  all  the  bloom 
and  luxuriance  of  vegetation.  The  cloudy  vapors  of  the 
Earth  around  its  poles  in  winter  condense  and  fall  in  the 
form  of  snow  :  a  similar  fleecy  mantle  has  been  observed 
to  cover  the  polar  regions  of  one  of  the  planets,  at  least, 
during  winter,  and  to  vanish  on  the  return  of  summer. 
The  surface  of  the  Earth  is  made  up  of  land  and  water ; 
and  the  planets  which  admit  of  such  observations  present 
appearances  strongly  indicative  of  the  existence  of  oceans 
and  continents,  bays  and  promontories,  similar  to  our 
own.  The  land  portion  of  the  Earth  is  ridged  with 
mountains  and  scooped  with  valleys  :  the  surfaces  of  the 
planets  distinctly  exhibit  similar  inequalities  of  surface. 
Various  material  elements  found  in  tlie  composition  of 
the  Earth  enter  also  into  the  composition  of  the  planets. 
In  short  the  planets  seem  to  possess  all  the  arrangements 
which  constitute  our  own  a  habitable  globe.  Now  who 
can  contemplate  all  these  striking  analogies — all  these 
close  rcs(«nblances — in  so  many  particulars  to  the  planet 


42  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

we  inhabit,  and  not  be  impressed  with  the  high  prob- 
ability, not  to  say  certainty,  that  those  other  planetary 
orbs,  which  nightly  roll  over  our  heads,  must  also  be 
so  many  spacious  worlds j  and  that  like  our  own,  they 
teem  with  life  and  intelligence  ! 

In  this  magnificent  System  of  Worlds,  the  Sun  occupies 
the  central  and  supreme  position.  His  first  and  most 
important  office  is  to  govern  them  ;  in  other  words,  to 
preserve  them  in  their  proper  relations  of  times  and  dis- 
tances, retaining  every  globe  in  its  appointed  orbit,  and 
carrying  it  through  its  round  in  its  determinate  period. 
This  he  does  by  his  powerful  attraction,  operating  with 
undeviating  exactness  and  uniformity ;  so  that  in  the 
perfectly  harmonious  revolutions  and  rotations  of  these 
heavenly  bodies  we  have  what  the  ancients,  by  a  beautiful 
figure,  termed  "  the  music  of  the  spheres." 

The  Sun's  second  office  is  to  give  light.  This  re- 
splendent orb  is  the  grand  fountain  of  illumination  to  all 
the  planets  and  satellites  of  the  system  ;  in  themselves 
none  of  these  possess  any  light.  To  his  beams  our  world 
owes  all  the  light  it  enjoys,  all  the  diversity  of  shade 
and  coloring  that  charm  its  landscapes,  or  distinguish  its 
living  tenants,  or  beautify  its  overspreading  vegetation. 

The  third  office  of  the  Sun  is  to  give  out  heat.  He  is 
the  radiating  centre  of  warmth  to  the  whole  system. 
From  him  the  earth  derives  the  vital  heat  that  con- 
stitutes it  a  fit  abode  for  living  beings.  The  warm  and 
illuminating  rays  of  the  Sun  are  the  twin  stimulants  of 
vital  force,  and  without  them  life  would  be  impossible 
upon  our  planet. 

Such  is  the  Sun  in  the  great  system  of  creation.  How 
important  his  functions,  how  inestimable  his  benefits ! 
It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  or  even  to  enumerate  all 
the  blessings  he  daily  diffuses  over  our  own  pla^t  alone. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  43 

How  he  enlightens,  warms,  fructifies,  adorns,  blesses! 
What  a  circle  of  beneficent  changes,  what  enchanting 
renovations,  does  he  annually  effect  over  the  whole  face 
of  Nature !  What  life  and  joy  does  he  inspire ! 
How  he  fills  the  air  with  songs,  and  field  and  garden 
with  fruit  and  fragrance !  How  he  clothes  the  wood 
with  foliage,  and  the  meadows  with  grass !  How  he 
fills  the  valleys  with  corn,  and  makes  the  little  hills 
rejoice  on  every  side !  How  he  covers  the  earth  and 
crowns  the  year  with  his  goodness !  Worthy  emblem, 
beautiful  symbol  of  the  more  glorious  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, from  whom  all  spiritual  life  and  light  and  comfort 
flow  to  men ! 

The  world  has  had  many  benefactors  whose  worth  was 
never  known  till  after  they  had  been  removed  from  it. 
And  the  inestimable  services  of  the  Sun,  perhaps,  will  be 
better  appreciated  by  contemplating  what  would  follow 
should  his  beneficent  influences  cease,  or  be  withdrawn. 
Let  us,  then,  for  a  moment,  indulge  in  such  a  supposition, 
as  that,  on  a  fixed  day,  at  noon,  the  light  and  heat  of  the 
Sun  should  be  suddenly  extinguished.  What  would  be 
the  consequences  of  such  an  appalling  event  ?  Nothing 
less  than  the  immediate  extinction  of  all  life  and  the 
destruction  of  all  organized  existences.  This  may  need 
a  word  of  explanation  to  some. 

There  is  always  in  the  earth's  atmosphere  a  certain  per- 
centage of  moisture,  or  invisible  vapor.  This  is  drawn  up 
and  suspended  by  the  heat  of  the  Sun.  To  this  moisture 
the  atmosphere  owes  its  power  of  confining  and  cherishing 
the  earth's  heat,  which  is  always  endeavoring  to  escape 
from  its  surface  into  space.  "Aqueous  vapor,"  says  Prof 
Tyndall,  "is  a  blanket,  more  necessary  to  the  vegetable 
life  of  England  than  clothing  is  to  man.  Remove  for  a 
single  summer-night  the  aqueous  vapor  from  the  air  which 


44  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

overspreads  this  country,  and  you  would  assuredly  de- 
stroy every  plant  capable  of  being  destroyed  by  a  freezing 
temperature.  The  warmth  of  our  fields  and  gardens 
would  pour  itself,  unrequited,  into  space,  and  the  sun 
would  rise  upon  an  island,  held  fast  in  the  iron  grip  of 
frost."  * 

What  then  would  ensue,  if,  according  to  our  supposi- 
tion, the  heat  and  light  of  the  Sun  should  be  cut  off  from 
the  whole  globe?  All  evaporation  would  immediately 
cease,  and  every  particle  of  moisture  already  in  the  air 
would  begin  to  descend.  Forty-eight  hours,  according  to 
Sir  John  Herschel,  would  suffice  to  precipitate  every 
atom  of  moisture  from  tlie  air ;  f  which,  at  first,  would 
fall  in  deluges  of  rain,  and  afterwards  in  piles  of 
snow;  and  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  this  precipitation, 
there  would  set  in  an  intensity  of  cold  such  as  the 
highest  peaks  of  the  Himalayas  or  the  bleakest  regions 
of  the  Arctic  never  knew — a  cold  that  would  congeal  to 
their  lowest  depths  all  the  seas  and  oceans  of  the  globe ! 
The  prevailing  temperature  would  be  more  than  200° 
below  zero  (Fahr.) — a  degree  of  cold  which  no  animal  or 
vegetable  could  resist  or  endure  for  an  hour,  any  more 
than  they  could  survive  so  long  in  a  blazing  furnace ;  and 
our  present  fair  world  would  be  wrapped  in  horrors  ten- 
fold past  those  of  the  poet's  vision  of  Darkness  : 

I  had  a  dream,  which  was  not  all  a  dream — 

The  bright  Sun  was  extinguished,  and  the  stars 

Did  wander  darkling  in  the  external  space, 

Ilayless  and  jiathless;  and  the  icy  earth 

Swung  blind  and  blackening  in  the  moonless  air  ; 

Morn  came  and  went — and  came,  and  brought  no  day. 

The  world  was  void. 

The  populous  and  jjowerful  was  a  lump, 
Seasonless,  herbless,  treeless,  nianless,  lifeless, 
A  lump  of  death — a  chaos  of  hard  clay. 


Ilea'  (IS  a  Mode  of  ^lotion,  ]>.  3-lC.  "^ Familiar  I.rcturcs,  p.  48. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  45 

The  abyss  was  without  a  surge — 

The  waves  were  dead ;  the  tides  were  in  their  grave, 
The  moon,  their  mistress,  had  expired  before; 
The  winds  were  withered  in  the  stagnant  air, 
And  the  clouds  perished  ;  Darkness  had  no  need 
Of  aid  from  tham — she  was  the  universe  ! — Byron. 

Such  would  be  the  dismal  condition  of  our  globe;  and, 
in  the  event  supposed,  all  the  other  globes  of  the  system, 
doubtless,  would  be  involved  in  a  similar  fate. 

Let  us  now  carry  our  supposition  a  step  further.  All 
light  and  heat  having  been  extinguished,  the  earth,  and 
also  the  other  planets,  would  still  continue  as  before  to 
circulate  in  darkness  around  the  blackened  sphere  of  the 
Sun.  Let  us  then,  again,  imagine,  as  before,  the  sudden 
and  complete  extinction  of  liis  attraction,  or  that  he  is 
annihilated.  What  would  now  result  to  these  dead  and 
dark  and  frozen  globes  ?  From  that  moment  each  planet, 
the  earth  like  the  rest,  would  forsake  its  orbit,  and  fly 
in  a  straight  course  into  infinite  space,  in  the  direction  in 
which  it  happened  then  to  be  moving  ;  one  would  rush 
toward  the  West,  another  toward  the  East,  and  a 
third  toward  the  North  or  the  South ;  and  all  would 
wander,  aimless  and  lost,  through  the  boundless  void  of 
space.  The  annihilation  of  the  Sun,  or  of  the  Sun's 
attraction,  therefore,  would  be  the  loosening  of  the  bonds 
of  nature,  the  scattering  of  planets  and  satellites,  and 
the  destruction  of  the  entire  system.  Thus  does  it 
appear  that  the  Sun  is  the  ruling  and  preserving  power, 
and  the  light  and  the  life  of  the  whole  system  of  Creation. 

Teachings. 

Important  as  the  Sun  is  to  the  unity,  harmony,  and  wel- 
fare of  the  system  of  Nature,  it  is  not  more  so  than  Christ 
is  to  the  system  of^ Revealed  Truth.   In  the  Holy  Scriptures, 


46  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

He  is  the  central  and  supreme  orb,  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness,/rom  wJiom  all  life  and  light  and  blessings  /low. 

The  Inspired  Volume,  like  the  solar  system,  compre- 
hends many  distinct  parts — Histories,  Laws,  Ceremonies, 
Psalmodies,  Prophecies,  Biographies,  Epistles,  Revelations 
— but  all  these  are  related,  and  look  toward  one  common 
centre. 

The  History  of  the  Bible,  beginning  with  the  distant 
dawn  of  human  existence,  from  every  quarter  of  its  hori- 
zon, converges  toward  that  state  of  the  world  and  con- 
dition of  humanity  which  at  last  should  mark  "  the  ful- 
ness of  time,"  when  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  should 
arise  upon  a  benighted  world.  The  long  and  varied  suc- 
cession of  events  recorded — the  reigns  of  kings  and  the 
ministries  of  prophets,  the  rise  of  dynasties  and  the  dis- 
solution of  empires,  the  calamities  of  war  and  the  bless- 
ings of  peace — all  cluster  and  lie  along  the  convergent 
lines  of  Divine  plan  and  promise  that  were  to  meet  and 
issue  in  that  glorious  event.  With  majesty  of  purpose 
and  stateliness  of  march  Ave  behold  Providence  bringing 
forward  every  event  and  every  agent — Egypt,  Arabia, 
Tyre,  Assyria,  Babjlon,  Persia,  Greece,  Rome — each  in 
the  time  and  connections  in  which  it  best  served  to 
prepare  the  way  for  the  introduction  and  establishment 
of  the  kino-dom  of  God's  Anointed. 

Again:  The  Sacrifices,  Types  and  Ceremonies,  which 
prevail  throughout  the  Scriptures,  were  designed,  and 
were  so  constituted,  as  to  point  forward  to  the  prom- 
ised Messiah  with  a  clearness  and  certainty  that  were 
not  to  be  mistaken.  The  Seed  of  the  woman  bruis- 
ing the  serpent's  head,  the  offering  of  Isaac  on  Mount 
Moriah.  the  slaying  of  the  Pascal  Lamb,  the  flowing 
Rock  of  Iloreb,  the  Atoning  Sacrifices  and  the  Peace 
Offerings,    tlie     Symbolism    of    the    Tabernacle    in    the 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  47 

wilderness,  the  lifting  up  of  the  Brazen  Serpent,  the 
Cities  of  Refuge  in  the  Promised  Land,  the  Temple  with 
its  Altar  and  Ark  and  Mercy-Seat,  the  Morning  and 
Evening  Sacrifice,  the  Annual  Feasts  and  Fasts — all  these 
had  clear  reference  to  the  promised  Deliverer,  the  Lamb 
of  God,  the  Victim  of  the  Cross.  To  Him  they  owed 
all  their  significance,  and  from  Him  they  derived  all 
their  value  and  all  their  interest. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  Propliecy  of  Scripture. 
Predictions  of  the  Messiah  stand  forth,  prominent  and 
conspicuous,  over  the  whole  plain  of  Inspiration.  These 
were  delivered  at  sundry  times  and  in  diverse  manners ; 
but  in  whatever  place  or  period  given,  whether  eastward 
in  Eden  or  westward  in  Egypt,  whether  amid  the  noise 
and  turmoil  of  the  city,  or  in  the  solitude  and  silence  of 
the  desert ;  whether  under  the  shadow  of  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem,  or  beneath  that  of  Sinai  in  the  wilderness ; 
each,  like  the  needle  to  the  pole,  pointed  forward  to  the 
coming  Messiah,  the  one  great  hope  and  consolation  of 
Israel.  The  voice  heard  in  the  cool  of  the  day  among 
the  trees  of  the  garden  spake  of  a  coming  Seed.  The 
encouragement  given  to  Abraham  to  forsake  his  idolatrous 
kindred  was  that,  from  him  should  descend  One  in  whom 
all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  Amonsr 
the  benedictions  uttered  by  Jacob  on  his  dying  bed  was 
the  prophetic  promise,  "  The  sceptre  shall  not  depart 
from  Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  from  between  his  feet,  until 
Shiloh  come."  In  his  parting  address  to  Israel,  Moses 
was  inspired  to  say,  "  The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up 
unto  thee  a  Prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy 
brethren,  like  unto  me ;  unto  Him  ye  shall  hearken." 
The  rebuke  administered  to  Balaam  for  his  madness 
against  Israel  was  by  a  vision  of  a  "  Star  coming  out  of 
Jacob,   and   a  Sceptre  rising  out  of  Israel."     The  only 


48  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

comfort  which  Job  could  find  in  the  depths  of  his  suffer- 
ing and  sorrow  was  the  assurance,  "  I  know  that  my 
Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter 
day  upon  the  earth."  David,  likewise,  in  the  full  tide  of 
his  victories  and  prosperity,  predicts  the  greater  conquests 
and  more  glorious  kingdom  of  the  Lord's  Anointed  One: 
"Yet  have  I  sot  my  King  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion. 
1  will  declare  the  decree;  the  Lord  hath  said  unto  me. 
Thou  art  my  Son  ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.  Ask 
of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  in- 
heritance, and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession."  As  time  advances,  and  the  great  advent 
draws  nearer,  the  utterances  of  prophecy  become  more 
clear  and  definite.  Isaiah,  speaking  some  three  centuries 
later  than  David,  says,  "  Unto  us  a  Child  is  born,  unto 
us  a  Son  is  given :  and  the  government  shall  be 
upon  his  shoulder :  and  his  name  shall  be  called 
VV^onderful,  Counsellor,  The  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting 
Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace  : "  and  in  the  last  twenty- 
seven  chapters  of  his  book,  this  prophet  unrolls  a  picture 
of  the  Messiah — of  his  character,  labors,  sufferings,  death 
and  burial — complete  in  all  its  parts.  Daniel  still  later, 
and  afar  off  at  the  court  of  Babylon,  delivers  predictions 
concerning  Christ  and  the  setting  up  of  his  kingdom, 
that  seem  almost  like  histories  written  after  the  events 
had  taken  place.  Haggai  and  Zechariah  also  speak  of 
his  coming  after  a  similar  manner.  And  Malachi,  the 
last  of  the  prophets,  says,  "  Behold,  I  will  send  my 
messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare  the  way  before  me :  and 
the  Lord  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple, 
even  the  messenger  of  the  Covenant,  whom  ye  delight 
in  :  behold  He  shall  come,  saitli  the  Lord  of  hosts." 

Thus  we  find  that  promises,  types,  visions,  symbols,  or 
predictions   of  Christ,   the  Messiah,  pervade  every  book. 


PRIMARY   GLOBE.  49 

and  permeate  the  whole  substance  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures.  And  if  from  the  Old  we  advance  to  the  New 
Testament,  we  pass  as  it  were  from  the  orbit  of  one  of  the 
outer  planets  to  that  of  the  innermost,  where  the  efful- 
gence of  the  central  orb  fades  every  other  object  out  of 
view.  Here  we  stand  in  the  unveiled  presence  of  the  Son 
of  God,  whom  so  many  prophets  and  righteous  men  de- 
sired to  see,  but  did  not  see ;  and  to  hear,  but  did  not  hear. 
In  the  New  Testament,  Christ  is  all  in  all.  The  Gos- 
l^els  are  but  the  narratives  of  the  life  of  Christ.  Tlie 
Acts  is  but  the  history  of  the  apostles  of  Christ.  The 
Epistles  are  but  instructions  addressed  to  the  churches  of 
Christ.  All  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Testament  are 
founded  on  Christ;  all  its  promises  proceed  from  Christ; 
all  the  liopes  it  inspires  look  to  Christ;  and  all  the  heaven 
it  reveals  is  to  be  with  Christ  forever. 

Christ,  then,  is  the  central  Truth  in  the  Sacred  Volume 
— the  Divine  Orb  that  illumines  its  every  page,  that  gives 
meaning  to  its  every  symbol,  and  life  to  its  every  service. 
Take  away  Christ  from  the  Bible  and  it  becomes  a  dark 
and  dead  letter.  Extinguish  the  idea  of  a  coming  Mes- 
siah, and  the  Old  Testament  is  a  book  without  meaning; 
its  every  sacrifice  is  without  signification,  its  every  type 
without  import,  its  every  symbol  without  an  object,  and 
its  every  prediction  a  sound  without  meaning.  Blot  out 
the  atoning  sacrifice  of  the  Cross,  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment, likewise,  becomes  a  Gospel  without  hope;  every 
ordinance  is  without  life,  every  promise  without  founda- 
tion, and  every  hope  built  thereon  doomed  to  eternal  dis- 
appointment. Take  away  Christ,  and  Ilim  crucified,  from 
the  Sacred  Scriptures,  and  you  take  away  the  Sun  from  the 
system,  and  leave  it  without  a  centre  to  attract,  without 
light  to  illumine,  and  without  heat  to  animate,  and  reduce 
tlie  whole  to  darkness,  disorder,  and  meaningless  confusion. 


50  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ANALOGY   II. 

As  the  Sun  far  surpasses  all  the  other  globes  in  the  system  "both  in  magni- 
tude and  splendor — so  Christ,  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  infinitely  trans- 
cends all  created  beings  in  wisdom,  and  power,  and  glory. 

Phenomena. 

To  multitudes  of  the  human  race,  the  Sun  is  nothing 
more  than  a  warm  and  luminous  circle  of  a  few  inches  in 
diameter,  hung  in  the  firmament,  like  a  brilliant  lamp,  to 
give  them  light  from  day  to  day  to  prosecute  their  need- 
ful toils.  And  to  many  of  a  higher  and  better-instructed 
grade,  he  is  but  little  more ;  the}-  have  never  made  an 
earnest  or  serious  attempt  to  enter  into  the  sublime  ideas 
connected  with  the  distance,  magnitude,  and  splendor  of 
this  august  luminary.  They  are  content  to  look  upon  it, 
and  content  to  regard  its  daily  circuits,  as  "  things  of 
course." 

Among  that  inquiring  and  philosophic  people,  the  An- 
cient Greeks,  there  arose  at  an  early  day  frequent  and 
earnest  discussions  as  to  the  real  size  of  the  Sun.  Some 
maintained  that  it  was  exactly  as  large  as  it  appeared  to 
be.  Others  held  that  it  was  a  far  larger  body  in  reality 
than  its  apparent  size  seemed  to  indicate ;  Anaxagoras 
hazarded  the  opinion  that  the  extent  of  his  disk  might 
be  equal  to  that  of  all  Greece;  for  this,  however,  he  was 
laughed  at.  Earnest  and  profound  thinkers,  regardless 
of  such  ridicule,  went  ere  long  still  further ;  and  Anaxi- 
mander  had  the  courage  to  assert  that  the  Sun  was  not 
less  than  twenty-eight  times  as  large  as  the  earth.  Bold 
and  extravagant  as  such  an  opinion  must  have  then  ap- 
peared, yet,  as  we  at  this  day  know,  it  fell  infinitely  short 
of  the  truth.  The  entire  territory  of  Greece  at  the  dis- 
tance of  the  Sun  would  be  absolutely  invisible ;  and  the 
whole  globe  of  the  Earth,  if  laid  upon  his  disk,  would  be 


THE   SUN   AND  PLANETS  COMPARED. 


(51) 


# 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  53 

but  the  minutest  speck,  covering  only  owe-1 3,000th  part 
of  his  apparent  surface. 

The  reason,  of  course,  why  the  Sun,  though  a  globe  of 
such  vast  mjignitude,  yet  appears  so  small,  is  its  immense 
distance.  The  measuring  of  this  distance  has  been  found 
a  matter  of  great  difficulty,  requiring  the  utmost  refine- 
ment of  accuracy  in  the  observations  taken  for  the  pur- 
pose. For  a  long  time  the  distance  of  this  great  luminary 
was  put  down  at  ninety-five  millions  of  miles ;  but  sub- 
sequent investigation  showed  this  estimate  to  be  some- 
what too  high.  The  official  astronomers  of  Great  Bri- 
tain, from  calculations  based  upon  observations  of  the  late 
transit  of  Venus,  have  reported  to  Parliament  the  mean 
distance  of  the  Earth  from  the  Sun  to  be  92,400,000  miles. 
This  may  now  be  regarded  as  correct  and  finally  settled. 

But  accurate  and  reliable  as  this  calculation  may  be, 
who  can  form  a  definite  conception  of  such  a  distance  as 
ninety-two*??? /7/io;?«  of  miles!  We  can  have  a  clear  idea 
of  1,000,  or  even  of  10,000  miles;  but  our  conception  of 
100,000  is  nmch  less  clear,  and  when  we  rise  to  a  million 
it  becomes  vague;  and  ninety  or  one  hundred  millions  is 
utterly  beyond  the  grasp  of  the  mind.  The  following 
iUustrations,  therefore,  are  offered  as  aids  to  form  some 
adequate  idea  of  our  distance  from  the  great  orb  of  day. 
A  railroad  train,  running  at  the  speed  of  thirty  miles  per 
hour,  without  stop  or  interruption,  would  travel  around 
the  earth  in  thirty-five  days ;  and  running  at  the  same 
rate  it  would  arrive  at  the  Moon's  orbit  in  eleven  months; 
but  to  reach  the  Sun  it  would  require  no  less  than  351 
years.  Take  another  comparison  :  The  ball  of  an  Arm- 
strong cannon  leaves  its  mouth  with  a  speed  that  will 
curry  it  through  a  mile  in  four  seconds;  yet  moving  uni- 
formly at  this  tremendous  velocity,  that  ball  would  re- 
quire  nearly   twelve  years    to  reach  the   Sun ;    and   the 


54  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

sound  (supposing  it  to  travel  with  the  same  speed  as  it 
does  through  the  air)  would  not  arrive  till  some  six 
months  later.  What  then  must  be  the  chasm  that 
separates  us  from  our  great  Luminary !  Viewed  from 
this  immense  distance,  the  vast  surface  of  600,000  millions 
of  square  miles,  which  it  presents  to  us,  is  contracted  to 
the  small  disk  of  a  foot's  diameter. 

Such  being  the  distance  and  apparent  size  of  the  Sun, 
let  us  now  contemplate  its  actual  hulk  and  dimensions. 
The  diameter  of  the  Earth  is  7,925  miles,  to  us  an  im- 
mense globe ;  but  the  diameter  of  the  Sun  is  108  times 
greater,  or  855,000  miles.  The  surface  of  our  world 
measures  198,900,000  square  miles ;  but  the  surface  of 
the  Sun  is  11,800  times  greater.  The  solid  contents^  or 
volume,  of  our  globe  amounts  to  263,858,000,000  cubic 
miles;  but  that  of  the  Sun  is  1,275,000  times  greater. 
These  are  figures  soon  written,  and  dimensions  easily 
read,  but  who  can  have  a  clear  comprehension  of  them  ? 
The  mind  staggers  in  its  attempt  to  grasp  the  ideas  they 
express.  Let  us  then  resort  again  to  comparisons  that 
may  offer  us  some  help  in  our  eifort. 

If,  like  Mont  Cenis,  the  earth  were  tunnelled  through 
its  centre  for  a  railroad,  a  train  running  at  the  speed  of 
thirty  miles  per  hour,  without  stopping,  would  reach  the 
central  point  of  the  Earth  in  five  days  and  a  half,  and 
pass  from  side  to  side  in  eleven  days ;  but  to  reach  the 
centre  of  the  Sun  in  a  similar  way  and  at  the  same 
speed  w^ould  require  full  twenty  months,  and  to  pass 
through  it  three  years  and  four  months,  and  to  travel 
round  it  no  less  than  ten  years. 

The  globe  we  inhabit  is  an  immense  ball,  its  equator 
being  a  circle  of  very  nearly  8,000  miles  in  diameter ; 
around  the  Earth  revolves  the  Moon,  describing  a  far 
jnightier  circle,  at  the  distance  of   238,793  miles;  now 


THE  SUN'S  PERIPHERY  AND  THE  MOON'S  ORBIT.* 


*  Am^dee  Guillimin,  a  di.stingiiishe<l  French  astronomer,  employs  the  following 
comparisons  to  illustrate  the  magnitude  of  the  Solar  Globe.  "Suppose  that  we 
represent  the  Sun  as  a  sphere  having  a  diameter  of  4  inches,  the  earth  will  then 
have  to  be  represented  as  a  minute  grain  less  than  o-lOOths  of  an  inch  in  diameter, 
which  we  must  place  at  a  distance  of  22i  yards  from  the  former,  to  place  its  real  size 
and  distance  from  the  Sun  in  harmony  one  with  the  other.  If  the  earth  be  repre- 
sented by  an  ordinary  geographical  globe,  such  as  are  used  in  schools,  the  diameter 
of  which  is  about  1  foot,  the  Solar  Globe  to  corresj)ond  must  be  placed  at  a 
distance  of  2i  miles,  and  be  represented  by  a  great  sphere  35  yards  in  diameti^r. 
Jupiter,  the  largest  of  the  planets,  would  likewise  be  represented  by  a  globe  3J  yards 
wide,  which  would  have  to  be  placed  at  11  miles  distance  ;  Saturn  would  be  a  globe 
3}  yards  wide  jilaeed  at  a  distance  of  20  miles. 


{".) 


56  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

let  US  suppose  the  earth  to  be  enlarged  until  it  completely 
fill  this  orbit  of  the  Moon,  and  what  a  stupendous  globe 
it  would  then  be  !  Yet  to  be  equal  to  the  Sun  it  would 
have  to  swell  out  on  every  side  188,000  miles  even  be- 
yond this  orbit!  "Were  the  Sun  a  hollow  sphere,  per- 
forated by  a  thousand  holes,  to  admit  the  twinkling  of  a 
luminous  atmosphere  without,  like  so  many  stars ;  then 
a  globe  as  large  as  the  Earth  might  be  placed  at  the 
centre,  with  a  satellite  as  large  as  the  Moon,  and  at  the 
same  distance  from  it  as  she  is  now  from  the  Earth ;  and 
there  would  be  presented  to  the  eye  of  a  spectator  on  the 
interior  globe  a  universe  as  extensive  as  the  whole  crea- 
tion was  conceived  to  be  in  the  infancy  of  astronomy, 
and  as  splendid  as  the  heavens  appear  at  present  to. the 
uninstructed  gazer." 

To  convey  an  idea  of  the  surpassing  magnitude  of  the 
Sun,  and  of  the  diminutive  proportions  of  the  planets  as 
compared  to  him,  Sir  John  Herschel  makes  the  following 
comparison  :  On  a  perfectly  smooth  surface  place  a  globe 
two  feet  iji  diameter,  and  let  this  represent  the  Sun; 
then  Mercury  will  be  represented  by  a  mustard-seed, 
Venus  by  ^  pea,  the  Earth  by  a  pea  also,  Mars  by  a  2)ins 
head,  the  Asteroids  by  grains  of  sand,  Jupiter  by  an 
orange,  Saturn  by  a  smaller  orange,  Uranus  by  a  cherry, 
and  Neptune  by  a  good-sized  plum.  Such  is  the  tran- 
scendent magnitude  of  the  Solar  Orb  as  compared  with  its 
encircling  planets.'-'     (Compare  Plate,  page  51.) 

Leaving  now  the  Sun's  magnitude  or  volume,  let  us 
c'ontemphite  his  mass  or  weight.  Incredible  as  the  state- 
iiient  may  sound  to  many,  yet  it  is  true,  that  Science  has 
weighed  the  stars.  The  astronomer  can  as  readily  de- 
termine the  weight  of  a  planet  or  satellite  as  the  engineer 
can  compute  the  weight  of  a  block  of  granite,  or  truss  of 

*  OuUinc.i  of  Astronomy,  Art.  526. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  57 

iron,  that  is  entering  the  structure  that  is  being  reared 
under  his  direction.  Now,  it  is  found  that  if  the  Sun 
were  put  in  the  astronomer's  scales,  it  would  balance  no 
less  than  330,000  globes  such  as  our  earth  is ;  and  would 
outweigh  all  the  globes  of  the  system,  planets  and  satel- 
lites put  together,  more  than  700  times;  and  his  attract- 
ing power,  consequently,  is  also  700  times  greater.  Such 
is  the  superiority  of  the  great  Central  Orb. 

Again:  the  Sun,  in  like  manner,  excels  in  its  splendor. 
No  orb  in  the  firmament  of  heaven,  and  no  light  that 
exists,  or  can  be  produced  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  can 
be  compared  to  the  brightness  of  the  Sun.  The  most 
intense  light  that  can  be  artificially  produced,  viewed 
upon  the  bosom  of  the  Sun,  appears  as  a  dark  shadow. 
Even  the  vivid  lightning  can  but  faintly  manifest  its  ex- 
istence in  the  unobscured  presence  of  the  Sun.  In  the 
night  season  the  constellations  are  bright  and  sparkling, 
the  morning  star  glitters  and  dazzles  like  a  great  dia- 
mond, and  the  full  moon  illumines  the  whole  concave — 
but  when  the  Sun,  the  great  Lord  of  Day,  arises,  how 
constellations,  and  morning  star,  and  refulgent  moon,  all 
pale  and  fade  out  of  view.  Wollaston  estimated  that 
twenty  millions  of  stars  as  bright  as  Sirius  would  not  shed 
upon  the  earth  a  degree  of  light  equal  to  that  of  the  Sun. 
It  has  also  been  calculated  that  were  the  whole  heavens 
covered  with  full  moons,  their  united  light  would  be  far 
from  amounting  to  the  brightness  of  the  Sun.* 

Such  is  the  great  Luminary  of  Day,  and  so  far  does  it 
^urpass  all  the  planetary  globes  in  magnitude,  and  power, 
and  splendor.  How  grand  a  Centre !  how  worthy  a 
Ruler  of  the  great  system  !     In  it  we  behold  a  display  of 


*The  interesting?  subjects  connected  with  the  Sun's  Light  and  Attraction,  here 
briefly  named,  will  be  found  set  forth  at  length  in  the  Analogies  embraced  in  Parts 

II.  ;iii.l   IV.     Shp  ospnoinllv  Part  IT..  Ati;ilo<rv'  12. 


58  THE  CKLESTIAL  aVMlJOL. 

Omnipotence  which  awes  our  minds,  and  overwhelms  our 
conceptions!  Who,  when  he  reflects  upon  its  vastneys 
and  its  glories,  but  must  raise  his  thoughts  in  wonder  and 
adoration  to  Him  who  in  the  beginning  launched  forth  its 
mighty  globe  from  his  hand,  and  kindled  up  the  briglit- 
ness  of  its  beams  with  the  breath  of  his  mouth. 

Teachings. 

Great  and  glorious  as  the  Solar  Orb  is,  it  is  but  an 
emblem — an  emblem  only — of  more  exalted  greatness 
and  glory.  As  the  Sun  thus  far  surpasses  all  the  other 
globes  of  the  system  in  magnitude  and  splendor,  so  Christ 
tJie  Sun  of  Righteousness  infinitely  transcends  all  created 
beings  in  wisdom,  and  power,  and  glory. 

Here,  it  must  at  once  be  observed,  we  enter  upon  the 
consideration  of  a  subject  that  is  purely  one  of  revelation. 
Of  the  person  and  character  of  Christ,  as  the  Son  of  God 
and  Saviour  of  the  world,  we  know  nothing  beyond  what 
we  learn  from  the  inspired  Word.  Here  reason  is  impo- 
tent and  science  inapplicable;  all  our  philosophy  can 
discover  nothing  beyond  what  is  revealed.  The  Holy 
Scriptures  are  our  only  source  of  information. 

What  then  do  the  Scriptures  say  concerning  himf 
They  declare  him  to  be  a  Divine  Being ;  they  apply  to 
him  all  the  sacred  titles  that  belong  to  God ;  they  speak 
of  him  as  possessed  of  all  the  attributes  which  pertain  ta 
God;  they  ascribe  to  him  all  the  actions  of  which  God 
alone  is  capable ;  they  represent  him  as  sustaining  the 
same  relations  to  angels  and  to  men  as  God  sustains  ;  they 
require  that  the  same  worship  be  rendered  to  him  as  is 
rendered  to  the  Everlasting  Father;  they  declare  him  to 
be  God  blessed  forever. 

What,  in  particular,  do  the  Prophets,  those  holy  men 
ol  old  who  wrote  and  spoke  as  tliey  were  moved  by  the 


PRIMARY   GLOBE.  59 

Holy  Ghost,  say  of  him?  They  say,  "He  is  Jehovah's 
Son."  "  His  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor, 
The  Mighty  God,  The  Everlasting  Father,  The  Prince 
of  Peace."  "  I  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne,  high 
and  lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  temple:  above  it 
stood  the  seraphim;  and  one  cried  to  another  and  said, 
Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts;  the  whole  earth  is 
full  of  his  glory."  These  things  said  Isaiah,  when  he  saw 
his  glory  and  spake  of  him. 

What  do  the  Apostles,  the  men  who  were  his  associates 
while  on  earth,  who  listened  to  his  discourses  and  wit- 
nessed his  mighty  works  among  the  people — what  do  they 
say  of  him  ?  "  He  was  in  the  beginning ;  all  things  were 
made  by  him,  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made."  "  By  him  were  all  things  created  that 
are  in  heaven,  and  in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether 
they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers; 
all  things  were  made  by  him  and  for  him ;  and  he  is  be- 
fore all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist."  "  In  him 
dwells  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily." 

And  the  Angels,  those  ministering  spirits  that  stand 
continually  in  his  presence — in  what  light  do  they  view 
and  with  what  feelings  do  they  regard  him  ?  They  call 
him  Lord,  and  they  fall  down  and  worship  him,  saying, 
"  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  who  was  slain ;  salvation  to  Him 
who  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb  for  ever  and 
ever." 

With  reverence  let  us  inquire  what  this  Christ  saith 
of  himself.  "  I  am  the  first  and  the  last."  "  I  proceeded 
forth  and  came  from  God."  "  Whatsoever  the  Father 
doeth,  the  Son  doeth  likewise."  "  I  and  the  Father  are 
one."  And  again  he  saith,  "  I  am  the  light  of  the 
world."  What  must  be  the  nature  and  dignity  of  hiiii 
who  can  thus  stand  up  and  say,  in  the  face  of  the  Sun, 


60  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

"  I  compare  claims  with  that  great  fountain  of  light !  " 
What  must  be  his  own  conception  of  his  greatness  and 
value,  when  he  can  thus  seek  to  eclipse  the  noonday  Sun, 
and  challenge  for  himself  the  attention  of  the  world  ! 

With  equal  reverence  let  us,  once  more,  ask  what  saith 
the  Divine  Father.  Unto  the  Son  he  saith,  "  Thy  throne, 
0  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever ;  a  sceptre  of  righteousness  is 
the  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom."  Again,  when  he  bringeth 
in  the  first-begotten  into  the  world,  he  saith,  "And  let  all 
the  angels  of  God  worship  him."  Again,  when  he  was 
baptized,  Jesus  went  up  straightway  out  of  the  water: 
and,  lo,  the  heavens  were  opened  unto  him,  and  there 
came  a  voice  from  the  excellent  glory,  saying,  "  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  Again, 
when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  "  He  set  him  at  his 
own  right  hand  in  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  princi- 
pality and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every 
name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in 
that  which  is  to  come,  and  hath  put  all  things  under  his 
feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  the  Head  over  all  things  to  the 
Church." 

From  all  these  sacred  and  solemn  testimonies  it  is 
manifest  that,  as  the  material  Sun  is  the  first  and  gov- 
erning orb  in  the  system  of  creation,  so  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  the  supreme  Ruler  and  Lord  in  the 
spiritual  Universe.  He  is  Head  over  all.  All  holy  in- 
telligences, whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  recognize  him 
as  their  Creator  and  God.  All  honor  the  Son  as  they 
honor  the  Father.  Seraphs  bow  down  before  him ; 
angels  find  their  chief  joy  in  beholding  his  face;  and 
the  innumerable  armies  of  the  Redeemed  ever  congregate 
around  his  throne,  to  pay  their  most  devout  and  joyous 
homage  there.  "And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of 
many  angels  round  about  the  throne :  and  the  number  of 


PKIMABY  GLOBE.  61 

them  was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thou- 
sands of  thousands ;  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Worthy 
is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches, 
and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
blessing.  And  every  creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on 
the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in 
them,  heard  I,  saying,  Blessing,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
power  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and 
unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever." 

Lord  of  lords,  and  King  of  kings!  let  all  render  unto 
HIM  the  praise  due  unto  his  name,  and  let  the  whole 
earth  be  filled  with  his  glory. 


ANALOGY  III. 

Aa  the  Sun  loas  active  and  influential  in  preparing  the  earth  tote  a  fit  hab- 
itation for  man ,  unnumbered  ages  before  he  was  called  into  being— m 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  from  the  depths  of  eternity,  contrived,  and 
in  tlie  purjjose  of  his  love  executed,  the  wondrous  scheme  of  man's  re- 
deniptio7i. 

Phenomena. 

That  the  origin  of  our  globe  dates  from  a  time  far  an- 
terior to  that  of  the  human  race  is  a  fact  now  well  estab- 
lished and  generally  received.  While  the  creation  of  the 
substance  or  material  of  the  earth,  "  in  the  beginning," 
was  an  instantaneous  act,  yet  its  formation  into  a  world — 
the  elevation  of  its  continents  and  islands  from  the  deep, 
the  formation  and  accumulation  of  its  soil,  the  growth  of 
its  vegetation,  and  the  introduction  of  its  living  tenants 
— was  the  work  of  time,  progressively  carried  on  through 
very  long  periods,  periods  probably  as  much  greater 
than  the  ages  of  human  history  as  the  distance  of  the 
planets  is  greater  than  the  distance  of  the  clouds.     This 


62  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

is  attested  by  the  vast  Formations  of  its  rocky  crusty 
which  speak  of  a  succession  of  stupendous  revolutions, 
and  by  the  innumerable  Strata  of  each  of  these  forma- 
tions, which,  like  so  many  leaves  of  a  book,  are  covered 
over  with  inscriptions  relating,  in  hieroglyphic  but  legi- 
ble characters,  the  history  of  countless  generations  of 
plants  and  animals  that  successively  lived,  died,  and 
passed  away.*  From  calculations  made  by  Sir  William 
Thomson,  it  would  appear  that  to  reach  the  date  at  which 
the  earth  first  attained  a  solid  crust  would  require  us  to 
travel  back  in  time  between  seventy  and  a  hundred  mil- 
lions of  years ;  and  to  recede  still  beyond  through  all  its 
molten  and  fluid  changes,  and  reach  its  vaporous  origin, 
would  require  as  many  more  millions  of  years.  Such  a 
lapse  of  time,  indeed,  is  to  us,  the  creatures  of  a  few 
fleeting  days,  all  but  inconceivable ;  but  to  him  who  in- 
habits eternity,  a  thousand  years  or  a  thousand  ages  are 
as  one  day — to  him  all  time  is  one  eternal  Present. 

Now,  old  as  the  Earth  may  be,  the  JSun  must  he  older. 
The  earth  being  a  globe  dependent  on  the  Sun,  reason 
tells  us  that  the  Sun  must  have  existed  before  it,  just  as 
the  tree  must  have  existed  before  the  fruit  which  hangs 
from  its  branches.  But  how  long  the  Sun  existed  before 
the  earth  we  have  no  grounds  even  for  conjecture.  If 
what  is  known  as  the  "  Nebular  Theory  "  of  the  origin  of 
the  system  is  to  be  received,  the  Sun  is  the  Parent  of  the 
whole  planetary  family,  and  the  earth  is  among  the 
youngest  of  his  offspring,  for  it  was  among  the  last 
thrown  off*  from  his  mighty  circumference.  But  we  leavt^ 
such  high  speculations,  and  take  our  stand  on  safer 
ground.  We  have  clear  evidences,  not  only  that  the  Sun 
existed,  but  that  he  also  enlightened,  and  warmed,  and 

•For  a  consecutive  history  of  the  Earth's  pre-Adamite  condition,  see  a  work  by 
the  author,  entitled  Work-Days  of  God,  or  Scifnce  and  the  Bible,  pp.  25-164. 


(63) 


64  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ruled  our  globe,  as  he  does  at  this  day,  from  the  earliest 
geological  periods.  These  evidences  we  find  in  the  Rec- 
ord of  the  Rocks,  and  of  which  we  can  here  instance  but  a 
few. 

We  have  a  conclusive  proof  that  the  Sun  shone  upon 
the  earth,  and  that  its  light  was  subject  to  the  same  laws 
of  refraction  and  reflection  in  those  remote  periods  as  at 
present,  in  the  Eyes  of  petrified  animals.  The  Eye  is  an 
organ  formed  with  specific  reference  to  the  light  of  the 
Sun,  and.  therefore  proves  its  existence.  Now  these  pet- 
rified eyes,  in  numerous  instances,  have  been  preserved 
for  us  in  wonderful  perfection,  even  to  their  most  delicate 
parts.  The  Trilobites,  which  were  among  the  earliest  of 
living  things,  and  which  inhabited  the  seas  of  the  im- 
measurably remote  Cambrian  Period,  had  eyes,  arjd  eyes 
of  the  most  complicated  character.  The  heads  of  all 
fossil  fishes  and  fossil  reptiles  in  every  subsequent  geo- 
logical formation  exhibit  the  cavities  where  the  eyes  were 
planted,  and  not  a  few  of  them  the  perforations  through 
which  the  optic  nerves  passed  into  the  brain. 

We  have  another  proof  of  the  presence  and  heat  of 
the  Sun,  in  those  early  eras,  in  petrified  Rain-marlcs. 
These  are  pits  made  by  the  large  drops  of  a  passing 
shower  in  the  soft  mud  recently  left  bare  by  the  tide ; 
these  impressions,  exposed  to  the  warm  air,  soon  dried 
and  hardened ;  and  being  afterwards  covered  by  layer  on 
layer  of  silt,  by  subsequent  tides,  were  in  process  of  time 
turned  into  rock;  and  in  this  way  have  been  preserved 
unchanged  through  countless  ages.  Sometimes  the  pits 
are  of  a  slanting  form,  and  thus  show,  not  only  that  the 
drops  were  driven  by  a  strong  wind,  but  likewise  the  di- 
rection in  which  that  wind  blew.  These  Rain-impres- 
sions have  been  discovered  in  the  early  Cambrian  rocks, 
and  in   many  of  the  subsequent  geological   formations 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  65 

Thus  we  have  in  these  ancient  periods  clear  evidence  of 
the  action  of  tides,  of  winds,  of  heat,  and  of  rain — actions 
in  all  of  which  the  Sun  must  have  been  concerned,  just 
as  he  is  concerned  in  the  same  operations  at  the  present 
day. 

Again,  the  presence  of  the  Sun,  in  all  its  genial  influ- 
ences, is  sufficiently  attested  by  the  Vegetation  which  has 
occupied  the  earth's  surface  through  every  period  of  its 
geological  history,  for  its  light  and  heat  were  indispen- 
sable to  the  growth  and  reproduction  of  every  tree,  and 
herb,  and  blade  of  grass  which  went  to  make  up  that 
vegetation. 

In  connection  with  vegetation,  the  Sun  produced  many 
results  of  inestimable  importance  to  coming  man.  To 
the  Sun  the  earth  owes  its  covering  of  rich  and  productive 
soil.  Its  earliest  soil  was  little  else  than  triturated  rocks, 
coarse  and  poor,  and  capable  of  bearing  only  very  low 
grades  of  vegetation.  But  each  growth,  low  as  it  was, 
by  its  decay,  left  that  soil  a  little  better.  This  process 
of  growth  and  decay,  repeated  and  continued,  served  at 
length  to  cover  the  ground  with  a  coating  of  mould 
capable  of  producing  the  higher  types  of  vegetation. 
Thus  through  the  annual  rounds  of  the  Sun's  influence 
the  earth  was  fitted  to  yield  the  herbs,  and  fruits,  and 
cereals  which  the  nature  of  man  would  require  for  his 
sustenance. 

To  the  Sun  the  earth  owes  also  its  jmre  and  loliolesome 
air.  There  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  our  globe,  when 
its  atmosphere  contained  a  much  greater  amount  of  car- 
bonic acid  gas  than  it  does  at  present — an  amount  that 
rendered  it  utterly  unfit  for  human  lungs.  When  at 
length  a  sufficient  quantity  of  soil  had  been  formed,  in 
the  way  just  described,  vegetation  came  to  abound  more 
and  more.      Under  the  stimulating  power  of  the  Sun's 


QQ  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

light  and  heat  gigantic  plants  shot  forth  from  the  warm 
ground.  Grotesque  trees,  delicate  ferns,  huge  mosses,  and 
tall  reeds  formed  dense  forests  of  vegetation  in  all  lati- 
tudes from  the  equator  to  the  poles.  "  These  flourished 
luxuriantly  in  the  atmosphere  that  was  so  rich  in  carbonic 
acid,  the  carbon  of  the  carbonic  acid  passed  over  into  the 
form  of  wood,  and  thus  in  the  course  of  thousands  of 
years  it  was  continuously  diminished.  Revolutions  of 
the  earth's  surface  succeeded;  whole  territories  with  their 
forests  were  buried  under  sand  and  clay  beds,  and,  be- 
coming decomposed,  were  changed  into  coal.  A  fresh 
vegetation  sprouted  forth  from  the  newly-formed  soil,  and 
again  absorbed,  under  the  influence  of  light,  the  carbonic 
acid  of  the  atmosphere,  to  be  once  more  engulphed  by  a 
fresh  cataclysm.  In  this  way  the  carbon  from  the  car- 
bonic acid  of  the  atmosphere  was  stored  as  coal  in  the 
depths  of  the  earth ;  and  thus  the  atmosphere,  by  the 
chemical  effects  of  the  Sun's  light  and  heat,  became  con- 
tinually richer  in  oxygen,  until  at  length,  after  countless 
revolutions  of  the  earth,  it  obtained  that  wealth  of 
oxygen  which  made  the  existence  of  man  possible,  when 
he  appeared  at  the  end  of  the  earth's  development."  * 

While  the  Sun  was  thus  purifying  and  vitalizing  the 
atmosphere,  it  was  at  the  same  time,  in  the  way  just  de- 
scribed, filling  the  vaults  and  cellars  of  this  "  earthly 
house  "  with  invaluable  stores  of  Coal,  for  its  coming  oc- 
cupant. The  quantity  of  carbon  thus  extracted  from  the 
air  and  converted  into  coal  was  enormous.  The  area  of 
the  coal-fields  of  the  United  States  alone  is  very  great. 
That  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  Ohio,  for  example, 
extends  continuously  from  northeast  to  southwest  for  a 
distance  of  720  miles;  its  greatest  breadth  being  180 
miles;  its  area  thus  amounting  to  129,600  square  miles. 

*  Voxel's  Chemistry  of  Lifjht,  y.  '-l. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  67 

That  situated  in  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Kentucky  em- 
braces an  area  of  14,000  square  miles,  while  several 
other  extensive  fields  are  found  in  Michigan  and  other 
parts  of  the  Union.  Great  Britain  is  likewise  richly 
endowed  with  deposits  of  coal.  Fields  more  or  less  ex- 
tensive are  also  found  in  France,  Spain,  Belgium  and 
Germany ;  in  India,  Chiiia,  the  East  India  Islands, 
Australia  and  New  Zealand ;  in  Nova  Scotia ;  in  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  Chili  and  Peru;  in  many  of  the 
Islands  of  the  Pacific;  in  Greenland  and  in  several  of 
the  isles  that  lie  within  the  Arctic  circle.  In  addition 
to  all  these,  many  deposits  doubtless  remain  yet  to  be 
discovered.  Thus  by  the  beneficent  design  of  Providence 
this  important  article  was  widely  distributed  over  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth.  And  now  who  can  estimate  the 
value,  or  enumerate  the  benefits  of  these  fields  of  coal? 
How  many  millions  of  homes  to-day  are  made  cheery  by 
its  glow  ?  AVliat  aids  to  human  industry  does  it  render? 
What  countless  engines  and  machineries  does  it  drive  by 
day  and  by  night?  What  grand  operations  does  it  carry 
forward  on  sea  and  land  ?  But  for  the  Sun  none  of  these 
coal-beds  had  ever  existed.  But  for  the  action  of  the 
Sun  millions  of  years  before  he  was  placed  on  the  earth, 
man  had  enjoyed  none  of  these  advantages. 

To  the  San  likewise  the  earth  owes  its  great  strata  of 
Roch-saJt.  These  were  produced  for  the  most  part  by  the 
Sun's  heat  evaporating  again  and  again  the  shallow  but 
briny  seas  of  the  Triassic  Period,  thus  leaving  layer  upon 
layer  of  salt,  overspreading  the  whole  extent  of  their 
basins,  until  in  process  of  time  thick  beds  of  this  very 
necessary  mineral  were  deposited. 

In  short,  the  Sun  was  a  prime  agent  in  all  the  grand 
processes,  mechanical  and  chemical,  which  carried  forward 
the  world's  formation   and  improvement  from  its  chaotic 


68  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

condition  to  its  final  state  of  order,  fruitfulness  and  beauty, 
when  it  received  man,  its  destined  heir  and  lord.  To- 
ward this  happy  consummation  the  Sun's  bright  and  far- 
seeing  eye,  as  it  were,  ever  looked  forward ;  and  toward 
this  its  mighty  energies,  untired,  ever  worked  in  sea  and 
land  and  air,  till  the  world  was  finished,  and  all  pro- 
nounced "  very  good." 

Teachings. 

Results  so  important  and  far-reaching,  wrought  out  in 
such  ways  and  by  such  means,  as  those  now  described, 
are  interesting  and  instructive  subjects  of  study  when 
considered  simply  in  their  scientific  aspect;  as  we  rise  to 
the  contemplation  of  the  designing  wisdom  and  prospec- 
tive provision,  which  they  plainly  exhibit,  they  become 
invested  with  additional  and  sacred  interest;  and  when 
we  trace  the  analogy  and  type,  which  in  them  lie,  of  the 
infinitely  more  wonderful  and  important  provisions  of 
grace,  they  become  at  once  inspirations  to  highest  devo- 
tion— the  pre-existent  Orb  of  Day  becomes  a  symbol  of 
the  pre-existent  Saviour,  the  preparation  made  on  earth 
a  figure  of  the  plan  contrived  in  heaven,  and  the  whole 
pre-Adamite  history  of  the  globe  a  grand  parable,  in 
which  we  behold  the  Sun  of  Rlgliteousness,  from  the  depths 
of  eternity,  contr'iving,  carrying  forward,  and  accomj^Ush- 
ing  the  wondr'ous  scheme  of  human  redemption. 

The  hour  that  marked  the  Saviour  s  birth  at  Bethle- 
hem was  not  the  beginning  of  his  existence,  but  the  com- 
mencement of  his  manifestation  in  the  flesh.  He  was  in 
being,  in  happy  and  glorious  existence,  before  he  thus 
assumed  our  humble  nature.  lie  was  before  all  things, 
and  before  all  created  beings.  Thus  speaks  he  of  him- 
self: "  The  Lord  possessed  me  in  the  beginning  of  his 
way,  before  his  works  of  old.     I  was  set  up  from  ever- 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  69 

lasting,  from  the  beginning,  or  ever  the  earth  was.  When 
there  were  no  depths,  I  was  brought  forth.  Before  the 
mountains  were  settled,  before  the  hills  was  I  brought 
forth  :  while  as  yet  he  had  not  made  the  earth,  nor  the 
fields,  nor  the  highest  part  of  the  dust  of  the  world. 
When  he  prepared  the  heavens,  I  was  there :  when  he 
set  a  compass  upon  the  face  of  the  depth :  then  I  was  by 
him,  as  one  brought  up  with  him  :  and  I  was  daily  his 
delight,  rejoicing  always  before  him."  Elsewhere  he  saith, 
"I  came  down  from  heaven" — "I  am  from  above" — "I 
had  glory  with  the  Father  before  the  world  u'as " — "  I 
and  the  Father  are  one."  "  In  the  beginning  the  Word 
was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God." 

And  from  "  the  beginning,"  too,  known  unto  him  were 
all  his  works,  which  afterward  he  should  accomplish. 
The  creation  of  man,  and  the  placing  of  him  in  a  state 
of  probation,  were  embraced  in  his  plan  before  the  world 
was.  Nor  was  his  fall  unforeseen,  together  with  all  its 
fatal  consequences.  Accordingly  the  Scriptures,  in  diverse 
places,  represent  the  scheme  of  man's  redemption  as 
occupying  the  Divine  mind  before  the  foundations  of  the 
earth  were  laid.  When  neither  Sun  nor  moon  had  yet 
been  created,  nor  star  nor  planet  had  twinkled  in  the 
heavens,  to  his  prescient  Spirit  were  clearly  visible  Eden 
in  its  bloom  and  loveliness,  the  creature  to  be  made  in  his 
own  imao;e  walkinn;  amons;  the  trees  of  the  warden,  Sinai 
from  whence  his  Law  should  be  proclaimed,  Zion  which 
should  be  crowned  with  his  Temple,  and  Calvary  which 
should  sustain  the  mystery  of  his  Cross. 

"  His  loving  thoughts,  from  first,  on  our  salvation  ran — 
Ere  sin  was  known,  or  Adam's  dust  was  fashioned  into  man." 

The  Apostle  Peter,  referring  to  this  profound  mystery, 
saith:  "Ye  know  that  ye  were  redeemed  with  the  pre- 


70  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

cious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and 
without  spot,  wlio  verihj  was  fore-ordained  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  but  was  manifested  in  these  last 
times." 

More  striking  and  emphatic  still,  if  possible,  is  the 
statement  made  in  the  book  of  Revelation:  "  He  was 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  worlds  The  sacrifice 
of  the  Divine  Victim,  the  Lamb  of  God,  was  so  deter- 
mined upon,  and  so  certain,  that  the  deed  is  here  spoken 
of  as  having  been  virtually  accomplished  before  the  world 
began.  In  the  counsel  and  purpose  of  the  Deity,  he  ivas 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  earth.  Hence  the  animal 
sacrifices  offered  through  the  long  ages  of  the  old  dispen- 
sation recognized  and  represented  this  great  atonement 
as  already  made  and  accepted  in  God's  foreknowledge 
and  eternal  purpose. 

Our  blessed  Lord  himself,  in  describing  the  scene  of 
the  last  judgment,  couches  the  w^elcome  that  shall  be 
given  to  the  redeemed  in  these  remarkable  words  :  "  Come 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 
for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world!'  These  are 
words  that  plainly  imply  that  their  happiness  had 
engaged  the  Eternal  Mind  before  the  world  began ;  that 
he  purposed  it,  planned  it,  secured  it,  ages  before  their 
existence. 

We  plainly  see,  then,  that  as  the  Sun  was  active,  by 
his  light  heat  and  attraction,  in  preparing  the  earth  to  be 
a  suitable  and  happy  abode  for  man,  unnumbered  ages 
before  he  was  called  into  beins; — so  the  Sun  of  Ri^ht- 
eousness,  from  the  depths  of  eternity,  contrived,  and  in 
the  purpose  of  his  wisdom  and  love  executed,  the  won- 
drous scheme  of  human  redemption. 

The  fiicts  and  scriptures  above  adduced  go  to  establish 
the  general  truth  that,  God  works,  both  in  the  kingdom 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  71 

of  Nature  and  in  the  kingdom  of  Grace,  according  to  a 
Determinate  Plan. 

In  the  Pre- Adamite  history  of  the  globe,  through  all 
its  vast  periods  and  mighty  revolutions,  there  is  an  un- 
veiling more  and  more,  as  time  advances,  of  one  grand 
and  general  plan  ;  the  adjusting  of  jarring  elements  into 
more  and  more  harmonious  co-operation ;  the  carrying 
out  and  carrying  upward  of  rudimental  forms  through 
various  changes  of  structure  and  condition  toward  com- 
plete and  beautiful  systems  of  both  plants  and  animals. 
The  advancement  of  that  plan  is  steadily  pursued  through 
all  changes,  its  unity  maintained  through  all  variety,  and 
its  harmony  through  all  details.  This  is  the  latest  con- 
clusion of  science,  for  this  truth  it  has  found  written  upon 
the  whole  face  of  Nature.  Science,  true  Science,  is  not  a 
thing  of  man's  invention,  but  man's  deciphering  and  trans- 
lating into  human  language  the  thoughts  of  the  Creator, 
which  are  imprinted  upon  all  his  works.  Science,  said 
the  distinguished  Agassiz,  "lies  not  in  us,  but  in  Nature, 
or  rather  in  the  Plan  whose  foundations  were  laid  in  the 
dawn  of  creation,  and  the  development  of  which  we  are 
laboriously  studying ; — the  great  divisions  under  which 
we  arrange  the  animal  kingdom  being  but  headings  to  the 
chapters  of  the  great  book  which  we  are  reading.  The 
combination  in  time  and  space  of  all  these  thoughtful  con- 
ceptions exhibits  not  only  Mind, — it  shows  also  premedi- 
tation, power,  wisdom,  greatness,  prescience,  omniscience, 
providence.  In  a  word,  all  these  facts,  in  their  natural 
connection,  proclaim  aloud  the  One  God,  whom  man  maj^ 
know,  adore  and  love."*  ...... 

Equally  certain  is  it  that  Plan  is  pursued  in  the  king- 
dom of  God's  providence  and  grace.  "Known  unto  him 
are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning."    Out  of  the  depths 

*  Etisay  on  Class ification,  Chap.  I.,  sec.  1  and  32. 


72  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  eternity,  he  looked  forward  over  all  the  periods  of  time, 
and  clearly  beheld  all  that  those  periods  would  witness  or 
record,  for  his  hand  and  counsel  would  be  concerned  in 
them  all.  The  Divine  Plan  is  not  only  all-embracing, 
but  also,  as  the  Scriptures  assure  us,  well-ordered  in  all 
things,  and  sure.  "  Not  more  certainly  is  the  earth  per- 
petually speeding  on  its  destined  course  through  space, 
and  carrying  with  it  all  the  momentous  interests  of  hu- 
manity,  than  the  Redeemer's pZa^,  freighted  with  an  eternal 
weight  of  glory  for  the  creature,  and  with  a  weightier 
revenue  of  glory  to  God,  is  in  constant  progress.  Never 
for  a  moment  does  it  retrograde — never  pause — never 
linger.  Look  on  it  when  he  will,  he  beholds  it  arrived 
at  that  stage  where,  a  thousand  ages  ago,  he  foresaw  it 
would  be ;  and  look  forward  to  what  distant  age  he  will, 
he  beholds  it,  in  anticipation,  already  there  arrived. 
Hence  he  is  often  represented  in  Scripture  as  foretasting 
the  happiness  arising  from  the  contemplation  of  this  ad- 
vancement of  his  plan.  To  its  completion  he  looks  for- 
ward with  joy.  The  prospect  of  beholding  a  ransomed 
world — every  heart  a  channel  through  which  a  fulness  of 
delight  is  constantly  streaming  from  the  great  Central 
Source,  and  every  moment  enlarging  to  receive  more ; 
every  sin  forgiven,  every  evil  remedied,  every  want  sup- 
plied; the  whole  reflecting,  and  replenished  with  the  Di- 
vine glory — this  is  the  consummation  of  that  glory  which 
is  set  before  him."* 


*  Fre- Adamite  Earth,  pp.  46,  49. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  73 

ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  Sun  is  an  orb  of  splendor  too  dazzling  for  the  human  eye  to  behold 
save  through  some  softening  or  subduing  medium— so  the  Sun  of  Bight- 
eousness  in  his  absolute  Divinity  was  a  Being  invested  with  glories 
overpowering  and  consuming,  and  could  be  contemplated  by  mortal  man 
only  through  the  softening  veil  of  human  ^esh. 

Phenomena. 

No  organ  in  the  human  frame  is  more  exquisite  in  its 
mechanical  parts,  or  more  wonderful  in  its  specific  function, 
than  the  Eye.  No  organ  combines  so  many  scientific 
principles  in  its  structure,  or  presents  so  many  clear  evi- 
dences of  Intelligence  being  concerned  in  its  production, 
or  so  loudly  proclaims,  "The  Hand  that  made  me  is 
Divine." 

The  eye  is  an  organ  made  with  reference  to  an  element 
altogether  external  to  itself,  whose  chief  source  is  millions 
of  leagues  distant;  and  constituted  to  convey  to  the  mind, 
impressions  of  objects  in  the  scenery  of  earth  and  sky 
which  are  of  million  forms  and  shades  and  distances.  By 
means  of  this  wondrous  organ  man  is  enabled,  by  the 
act  of  a  single  moment,  to  send  an  exploring  look  over  the 
surface  of  an  extended  landscape,  and  to  gather  into  his 
mind  the  images  of  all  its  diversified  objects  and  features; 
or  to  direct  an  upward  glance,  and  survey  the  glories  of 
the  iununierable  worlds  which  i^eplenish  and  adorn  the 
infinitude  of  space. 

In  these  sublime  achievements,  each  particular  part  of 
the  organ,  of  course,  has  its  particular  office  to  perform, 
and  pre-eininently  among  them  that  called  the  Retina. 
This  is  a  very  delicate  nervous  membrane,  less  than  the 
one-hundredth  part  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  which  lines 
the  whole  back  part  of  the  interior  of  the  eye-ball,  and 
constitutes  the  screen  on  which  the  lenses. cast  the  pict- 


74  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ures  of  the  external  objects  looked  upon.  The  peculiar 
property  of  the  retina  is  its  sensibility  to  light,  and  its 
special  function  is  the  converting  of  the  vibrations  of 
the  luminiferous  ether,  the  physical  basis  of  light,  into  a 
stimulus  to  the  fibres  of  the  optic  nerve,  which  fibres, 
when  excited,  awaken  the  sensation  of  light  in  the  brain. 

The  retina,  as  just  stated,  is  a  part  of  extreme  delicacy, 
and  its  sensibility,  or  rather  its  excitability,  is  readily  ex- 
hausted. Thus,  looking  at  a  very  bright  light  suddenly 
renders  that  part  of  the  retina  on  which  the  light  falls 
insensible;  and  on  turning  the  eye  from  the  bright  light 
towards  a  moderately  lighted  surface,  a  dark  spot,  arising 
from  temporary  blindness  of  the  retina  in  this  part,  ap- 
pears in  the  field  of  view.  If  we  look  for  an  instant  at 
the  sun,  or  even  at  an  exceedingly  strong  artificial  light, 
we  feel  for  some  seconds  afterwards  that  the  eye  is  parti- 
ally blinded;  it  can  no  longer  distinctly  perceive  surround- 
ing objects;  and  if  we  are  so  imprudent  as  to  continue 
the  unnatural  exposure,  its  blinding  effect  lasts  for  a  long 
time  afterwards.  The  eye,  indeed,  may  even  be  perma- 
nently injured  by  too  violent  or  long  continued  exposure 
of  this  kind. 

Dr.  Watson,  in  his  Lectures  on  the  Principles  and  Prac- 
tice of  Physic,  speaks  of  a  patient,  who,  unacquainted  with 
the  proper  method  of  observing  an  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
employed  for  that  purpose  a  piece  of  opaque  glass  with  a 
transparent  spot  in  its  centre.  Notwithstanding  the  vivid 
and  painful  impression  he  experienced  from  the  rays  that 
passed  through  the  lucid  spot  in  the  glass,  lie  continued 
to  look  at  the  sun  till  the  eclipse  was  over,  using  his  right 
eye.  He  was  soon  afterwards  seized  with  vertigo,  and 
pain  in  the  right  side  of  the  head,  and  found  himself  al- 
most entirely  deprived  of  the  sight  of  the  right  eye.  It 
is  related  in  The  Life  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  that,  in  the 


PRIMARY   GLOBE.  75 

prosecution  of  his  celebrated  experiments  on  Light,  he 
suffered  intensely  in  a  similar  way;  he  was  in  fact  de- 
prived of  sleep  for  several  days  and  nights  together,  and 
driven  even  to  the  verge  of  distraction.  From  the  same 
cause  an  eminent  Belgian  philosopher  became  totally  and 
permanently  blind; — 

"  He  saw,  till,  blasted  with  excess  of  light, 
He  closed  his  eyes  in  endless  night." 

So  dazzling  and  overpowering  is  the  great  orb  of  day, 
and  so  inadequate  is  the  eye  of  man  to  gaze  upon  its  un- 
obscured  glories;  if  he  would  look  upon  it  with  comfort 
or  with  safety  he  must  look  through  some  softening  or 
subduing  medium.  And  this  is  what  the  experienced 
astronomer  takes  care  to  do  in  observing  and  studying 
this  brilliant  luminary.  He  employs  a  smoked  or  colored 
piece  of  glass,  which  so  mitigates  and  reduces  the  intensity 
of  its  rays,  that  he  can  not  only  look  upon  its  luminous 
face  without  pain  or  peril,  but  can  even  leisurelj^  number 
and  measure  its  spots,  study  its  facula3,  and  contemplate 
with  wonder  and  delight  the  planets  Venus  and  Mercury 
accomplishing  their  rare  transits  across  its  surface. 

Teachings. 
As  the  Sun  of  Nature,  in  his  naked  splendor,  is  thus 
an  orb  of  brightness  too  great  for  human  vision  to  behold, 
so  the  Sun  of  Rujlitcoasness  in  Ids  absolute  and  eternal 
Dirinitij  teas  a  Being  invested  witli  (jlories  and  majesties 
altofjetlier  overpoLcering  and.  consuming  to  mortid  man. 
When  Moses,  emboldened  perhaps  by  the  extraordinary 
privileges  before  accorded  him,  made  the  inconsiderate 
request,  "Lord,  I  beseech  thee  show  me  thy  glory,"  he 
was  immediately  answered,  "Thou  canst  not  see  my  face, 
for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and  live."  The  vision 
would  have  been  insufferable.      The  uncreated  splendor 


76  THE    CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

which  pertained  to  the  Deity  would  have  whelmed  and 
dissolved  a  tenant  of  flesh.  The  full,  unclouded  blaze  of 
glory  which  constituted  the  shekinah,  or  visible  symbol  of 
his  presence,  would  be  more  than  mortal  beings  could 
endure.  Even  the  partial  display  of  this,  which  was 
made  to  Paul  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  struck  him  down 
to  the  earth,  and  wrapped  him  in  blindness  from  which 
he  did  not  recover  till  after  three  days.  And  this  same 
apostle,  writing  many  years  after  to  his  beloved  Timothy, 
gives  utterance  to  this  sublime  doxology,  "  The  King  of 
kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  who  only  hath  immortality, 
dwelling  in  light  which  no  man  can  approach  unto,  whom 
no  ma?i  hath  seen,  nor  ca7i  see;  to  whom  be  honor  and 
power  everlasting.     Amen." 

God,  the  uncreated  and  eternal,  illimitable  in  his  im- 
mensity, unchangeable  in  nature  and  character,  irresistible 
in  his  power,  escapeless  in  his  gaze,  inconceivable  in  his 
mode  of  existence,  indescribable  in  his  essence  and  majesty 
and  glory — to  such  a  Being  man,  sinful  man,  could  only 
look  up  with  awe  and  trembling.  The  ineffuble  per- 
fections of  this  Almighty  and  Omniscient  Deity,  dwelling 
in  the  secret  place  of  eternity,  must  ever  have  been  over- 
whelming to  his  timid  apprehension.  Whatever  per- 
tained to,  or  proceeded  from  a  Nature  so  for  superior  to 
his  own,  and  so  mysterious,  must  always  have  been 
regarded  with  awe,  if  not  with  terror.  The  Great  Supreme, 
in  his  purely  spiritual  existence  and  absolute  Divinity, 
was  unapproachable  to  the  faculties  or  to  the  imagination 
of  man.  His  mental  powers  were  too  lowly  to  apprehend 
the  excellency  of  his  character,  and  his  vision  too  feeble 
to  contemplate  the  exceeding  glories  of  his  nature. 

Those  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  world — the  Magi  of  Baby- 
lon, the  Priests  of  Egypt,  and  the  Philosophers  of  Greece 
and   Rome — who   attempted   to   scan  the  nature  of  the 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  77 

Deity,  as  with  naked  eyes,  turned  them  away,  as  from 
the  sun,  filled  with  ocular  spectra,  or  ftilse  and  imaginary 
impressions,  and  ascribed  to  him  features  of  character 
calculated  to  inspire  equal  terror,  hatred  and  disgust. 
Human  intellect  could  not  conceive  the  Divine  perfections. 
Correct  views  of  God,  as  of  the  solar  orb,  are  to  be  gained 
only  through  a  softening  and  subduing  medium,  that  will 
present  him  in  a  light  which  our  feeble  vision  can  bear, 
and  under  an  aspect  that  we  can  understand  and  ap- 
preciate. 

Such  a  medium  Himself  hath  provided.  In  infinite 
condescension  and  love,  and  in  a  way  surpassing  all 
thought  and  investigation,  God  in  the  person  of  his  well- 
beloved  Son  took  upon  him  our  nature,  arrayed  himself 
in  a  human  body,  that  we  might  thus,  through  the  mild  and 
softening  veil  of  human  flesh,  behold  the  excellency  and 
perfection  of  the  Divine  character.  In  Jesus  Christ  we 
see  God  with  his  overpowering  glories  veiled — God  mani- 
fested in  the  flesh.  ''He  that  hath  seen  me,"  he  saith, 
"hath  seen  the  Father  also;  I  and  the  Father  are  one." 
Yes,  in  Jesus  Christ  we  behold  very  God  under  a  mild 
and  most  amiable  aspect,  and  in  a  form  that  we  can  un- 
derstand and  appreciate,  admire  and  love.  So  softened 
and  subdued  is  the  character  of  the  Most  Highest  as  seen 
in  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  that  the  believer  of  infant  years  be- 
holds in  it  features  which  he  loves  and  aspires  to  resemble; 
and  so  perfect  and  attractive  is  it,  that  all  the  saints  on 
earth  and  all  the  angels  in  heaven  have  their  eyes  fixed 
on  it  in  holy  and  delighted  contemplation:  "Worthy  the 
Lamb,"  is  their  united  song,  "to  receive  power,  and  riches, 
and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
blessing,  for  ever  and  ever." 

In  Jesus  Christ  mankind  see  the  character  of  God 
revealed   as  no  verbal   description  could   portray,   as  no 


78  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

images  in  the  universe  could  represent,  and  as  no  seraph 
in  heaven  could  set  forth.  In  him  the  world  is  blessed 
with  a  living,  actual,  adequate  impersonation  of  the 
Supreme  God.  The  Divine  signature,  Immanuel,  God  with 
us,  is  legible  on  every  part  of  his  conduct  and  every 
feature  of  his  character;  nor  shall  saint  or  angel  ever 
know  aught  of  the  invisible  God  but  as  it  is  brought  forth 
and  unveiled  in  the  adorable  person  of  Christ. 

In  Jesus  Christ  we  see  the  omnipotence  of  God  in  ex- 
ercise, controlling,  subjecting,  moulding  all  things  to  the 
purposes  of  his  will.  In  his  hands  we  witness  a  few  little 
loaves  quickly  multiply  and  increase  into  a  sufficiency  for 
thousands.  At  the  sound  of  his  voice  the  mighty  ele- 
ments of  nature  in  the  hour  of  their  wildest  uproar  at 
once  are  hushed,  and  subside  into  a  great  calm.  He  calls 
to  the  deaf,  and  their  ears  are  unstopped  at  the  charming 
sound.  He  commands,  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind  open  to 
receive  the  blessed  light  of  day.  He  lays  his  hand  on 
the  sick,  and  the  crimson  fever  fades  at  his  touch.  He 
speaks  to  the  frenzied  demoniac,  and  anon  the  evil  spirit 
•flees,  leaving  its  victim  a  happy  worshipper  at  his  feet. 
He  calls  to  the  sleeping  dead,  and  forthwith  they  awake 
to  life  again.  Yea,  whatsoever  works  the  Father  doeth 
these  doeth  the  Son  also. 

In  Jesus  Christ  we  behold  the  omniscience  of  God,  dis- 
cerning what  transpires  in  places  hidden  or  remote,  speak- 
ing of  the  future  as  if  it  were  present,  and  reading  at 
pleasure  the  secrets  of  every  heart. 

In  Jesus  Christ  we  see  the  lieart  of  God  toward  the 
children  of  men — its  compassion,  its  tenderness,  its  mercy, 
its  sweetness  and  its  love.  In  him  we  see  God  in  an 
attitude  of  amazing  pity  seeking  to  win  back  his  erring 
creatures  to  himself — God  employing  and  adopting  means 
inexpressibly  wonderful  and  gracious  to  rescue  and  to  save 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  79 

them,  not  willing  that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all 
should  come  to*  repentance  and  live. 

In  Jesus  Christ  we  behold  the  patience,  forbearance  and 
for  (jiving?  I  ess  of  God,  Though  often  vexed  by  friends  and 
always  persecuted  by  foes — though  resisted  in  his  pur- 
poses of  mercy,  and  basely  requited  for  his  deeds  of 
love — though  his  actions  were  decried,  his  motives  sus- 
pected, his  character  maligned,  and  his  spirit  miscon- 
strued— though  ingratitude,  injustice  and  hatred  often 
pierced  his  sacred  soul — -though  deserted,  betrayed,  falsely 
accused,  unjustly  condemned,  and  at  last  cruelly  nailed 
to  a  cross — yet  his  forgivingness,  patience,  meekness,  and 
measureless  love  never  once  forsook  him,  never  once  were 
disturbed;  through  all  his  trials,  through  all  his  sufferings, 
he  remained  absolutely  unmoved  in  the  deep  pity  and 
love  of  his  heart,  and  in  all  his  gracious  purposes  con- 
cerning man  and  man's  salvation.  "Father,  forgive  them," 
was  the  prayer  with  which  he  died,  and  the  spirit  in  which 
this  prajer  was  breathed  was  the  spirit  which  pervaded 
his  whole  life. 

Thus  through  the  iconderful  medium  of  the  Incarnation 
we  can  see  God,  and  not  be  dazzled  or  consumed — see 
him,  not  as  enthroned  above  the  heavens,  but  come  down 
within  reach  of  our  fticulties  and  of  our  affections — see 
him,  not  as  in  the  power  and  radiance  of  his  glory,  but  in 
a  meek  and  lowly  form  that  we  can  approach,  and  see, 
and  hear — see  him,  not  as  he  dwells  amid  the  mysteries 
and  solitudes  of  eternity,  but  in  a  condition  and  in  cir- 
cumstances that  we  can  understand  and  appreciate — see 
him,  not  as  listening  to  the  praises  and  homage  of  angels, 
but  receiving  the  tears  of  the  penitent  and  the  confessions 
of  the  guilty  and  the  prayers  of  the  wretched — see  him,  not 
as  issuinir  his  hiijli  behests  or  showerins;  down  his  bene- 
dictions  upon  the  happy  populations  of  a  thousand  worlds, 


80  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

but  in  infinite  pity  and  love,  laboring,  suffering,  dying,  to 
save  rebellious  man  !  When  viewed  thus  through  the  soft- 
ening veil  of  Christ's  humanity,  0  in  what  a  mild  and 
amiable  and  attractive  aspect  does  the  Divine  character 
appear! — the  character  of  a  Father — a  Father  merciful 
and  gracious  and  ready  to  forgive — a  Father  worthy  the 
eternal  confidence,  admiration  and  love  of  all  his  earthly 
children ! 


ANALOGY   V. 

As  the  Sun  arises  on  a  scene  enshrouded  in  nature^s  darkness — so  the  Sun 
of  liighteousness  arose  wpon  a  world  involved  in  moral  darkness. 

Phenomena. 

Day  and  Night  have  equally  divided  the  empire  of  the 
world  from  the  beginning  of  time.  This  perpetual  inter- 
change of  light  and  darkness,  as  all  know,  results  from 
the  rotation  of  the  earth  upon  its  axis,  thus  turning 
every  part  of  its  circumference  towards  the  Sun  and 
every  part  from  it,  in  the  course  of  each  revolution.  In 
this  daily  rotation  of  our  planet  we  have  a  striking 
instance  of  the  perfection  of  the  Creator's  works ;  the 
period  occupied  in  its  accomplishment  is  absolutely  unde- 
viating,  being  23  h.  56  m.  4.09  sec.  Our  most  distin- 
guished astronomers — Laplace,  Arago,  Miidler  and  Iler- 
schel — have  demonstrated  that  the  sidereal  day,  or  tlie 
time  of  the  earth's  diurnal  rotation,  has  not  varied  the 
one-hundredth  part  of  a  second  in  the  lapse  of  the  last 
3,000  years.  If  during  that  period  it  had  slackened  or 
lost  but  the  hundredth  part  of  a  second  in  each  revolu- 
tion, the  Day,  instead  of  24  hours,  would  now  be  27 
hours  long ;  or  if  it  had  gained  that  minute  fraction  in 
each  revolution,  the  Day  would  now  be  reduced  from  24 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  81 

hours  to  21  hours  in  length.  But  no  such  change  one 
way  or  the  other  has  taken  place,  consequently  no  such 
error  as  the  hundredth  part  of  a  second  has  occurred. 
The  Day  is  now  exactly  what  it  was  when  Moses  went 
out  of  Egypt,  or  Abraham  out  of  Mesopotamia.  How 
marvellous  is  such  a  fact !  Man,  with  all  his  science  and 
ingenuity,  has  never  succeeded  in  producing  a  clock  or 
chronometer  that  would  keep  exact  time  for  one  year; 
nor,  indeed,  has  he  been  able  to  set  in  motion  a  wheel 
that  would  perform  one  revolution  with  perfect  uni- 
formity. But  the  unseen  hand  of  the  Almighty  has 
turned  the  vast  globe  of  the  Earth  on  its  axis  through 
successive  hundreds  and  thousands  of  years  without  the 
deviation  of  the  minutest  fraction  of  time !  How  won- 
derful in  counsel,  how  excellent  in  working ! 

Equally  admirable  is  the  adaptation  of  this  alternation 
of  light  and  darkness  to  the  constitution  of  all  organic 
existences — plants  as  well  as  animals.  Both  require  sea- 
sons of  rest  to  alternate  with  periods  of  activity,  and  the 
well-being  of  both  depends  upon  the  continuance  of  this 
arrangement.  The  cycle  of  light  and  darkness  coincides 
with  the  cycles  of  the  animal  and  vegetable  constitution. 
The  light  quickens  to  activity,  the  darkness  invites  to 
repose ;  and  the  one  no  less  than  the  other  is  universally 
felt  and  obeyed. 

This  order  of  Nature  cannot  be  reversed  or  disregarded 
with  convenience  or  impunity.  If  we  seek  to  sleep  in 
the  daytime,  the  noise  and  activity  about  us  will  disturb 
our  slumbers  and  render  our  rest  unsatisfactory ;  and  if 
we  undertake  to  carry  on  the  labors  of  the  day  through 
the  hours  of  the  night,  it  will  be  attended  with  various 
disadvantages,  and  in  many  things  with  pain  or  peril. 
When  night  draws  fts  sable  mantle  over  the  face  of 
nature,  it  is  for  the  welfare  of  the  laborer  to  cease  his 


82  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

toil,  and  of  thi  wayfaring  man  to  turn  aside  and  rest  till 
the  morrow ;  for  night  is  a  period  of  gloom,  incertitude 
and  danger. 

If  we  adventure  to  pursue  our  journey  through  a 
strange  or  foreign  country  in  the  night  season,  it  must 
be  not  only  without  interest  or  pleasure,  but  at  many 
risks  and  much  inconvenience.  Every  scene  and  every 
object  will  be  involved  in  dull  obscurity;  every  turn  will 
be  suggestive  of  danger  or  serve  to  awaken  apprehension. 
We  may  be  passing  through  the  midst  of  the  most  charm- 
ing scenery, or  close  by  the  most  .sublime  prospect ;  but  we 
might  as  well  pass  through  the  monotony  of  a  sandy  desert, 
for  we  can  discern  none  of  their  beauties.  Our  pathway 
may  be  lined  with  flowers  and  fountains  and  statues,  or 
may  be  beset  with  pits  and  precipices;  but  strain  our  eyes 
as  we  may,  we  can  perceive  neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 
Things  that  are  near  wear  unreal  shapes,  and  those  at  a 
distance  are  shrouded  in  greater  vagueness  still.  What, 
away  before  us,  appear  faintly  as  the  walls  and  turrets  of 
a  city,  presently  turn  out  to  be  nothing  more  than  the 
irregular  shades  and  outlines  of  a  neighboring  hill. 
These  objects  here,  on  our  right,  which  seem  so  like  a  file 
of  soldiers  pressing  on  their  march  to  intercept  our  way, 
on  being  neared,  prove  to  be  nothing  more  alarming  than 
the  nodding  tops  of  a  row  of  trees.  Our  attention  having 
been  alto:>;ether  en";rossed  with  illusions  such  as  these,  we 
presently  discover  that  we  have  unconsciously  turned 
aside  from  the  right  course  and  lost  our  way,  and  are 
actually  standing  on  the  verge  of  a  soft  and  trembling 
quagmire.  Beating  a  hasty  retreat  from  this  dismal  sit- 
uation, we  make  for  the  higher  ground  ;  but  in  doing  so 
we  are  soon  brought  to  a  sudden  stand  :  directly  before  us 
lies  the  crouching  form  of  a  huge  tteast — his  eyes  glare 
— he  is  ready  to  spring  !      We  look — we  listen — we  look 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  83 

again ;  another  breathless  moment  passes — and  lo,  the 
frightful  figure  before  us,  beneath  a  gentle  flash  of  light- 
ning, fades  away  into  a  harmless  log !  Weary  and 
bewildered,  we  at  length  resolve  to  sit  down  and  wait  for 
the  day. 

It  is  a  mild,  serene,  midsummer  night.  The  third 
watch  is  far  advanced.  Darkness  broods  over  all  around. 
The  winds  are  whist,  and  not  a  sound  is  to  be  heard. 
The  sky  is  clear,  bearing  scarce  a  cloudlet.  The  stars 
are  twinkling  in  every  quarter.  Jupiter's  placid  orb  is 
sinking  toward  the  west;  while  the  Pleiades,  just  above 
the  horizon,  are  shedding  their  sweet  influences  in  the 
East.  Lyra  sparkles  near  the  zenith ;  Andromeda,  as 
through,  a  veil,  is  revealing  her  modest  glories  in  the 
South ;  and  the  steady  Pointers,  from  the  depths  of  the 
North,  are  looking  meekly  upward  to  their  lord,  the  guid- 
ing Star  of  the  Pole.  Beneath  this  glorious  spectacle, 
these  spangled  heavens,  but  all  involved  in  darkness,  we 
sit  and  wait  for  the  light  of  coming  day.  Ere  long  the 
faint  approach  of  twilight  becomes  perceptible ;  the  dark- 
ness of  the  sky  begins  to  soften.  Soon  the  smaller  stars 
one  by  one  fade  out  of  view ;  others  gently  follow ;  and 
presently  all  the  bright  orbs  of  the  East  melt  away ;  but 
the  constellations  of  the  West,  a  while,  remain  unchanged. 
Wondrous  is  the  transfiguration  that  is  in  process ! 
Hands  unseen  seem  to  be  shifting  the  scenery  of  the 
heavens.  The  magnificence  of  nidit  is  fast  dissolving: 
into  the  glories  of  the  dawn ;  the  blue  of  the  sky  is  now 
turning  into  the  softer  gray.  The  East  begins  to  kindle 
— faint  streaks  of  purple  blush  along  the  sky — other  and 
deeper  blushes  follow.  Now  the  whole  celestial  concave 
is  filling  with  the  morning  light,  which  comes  pouring  in  as 
one  great  ocean  of  radiance.  Again  flash  after  flash  of  pur- 
ple fire  blazes  out,  shooting  far  and  high  above  the  horizon, 


84  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  turning  the  dewy  drops  on  flower  and  leaf  into  rubies 
and  diamonds.  A  few  more  seconds,  and  the  everlasting 
gates  of  the  morning  are  thrown  wide  open,  and  the  Sun, 
the  lord  of  day,  arrayed  in  glories  too  severe  for  the  gaze 
of  man,  begins  his  course.  Light !  glorious  light  now  is 
come,  and  the  shadows  of  night  are  fled  away.  Now 
every  object  appears  in  its  real  form,  and  every  scene 
stands  forth  arrayed  in  its  true  colors.  The  hills  and  the 
valleys  unroll  their  enchanting  panorama  of  field  and 
grove  and  silvery  streams.  Every  living  creature  is  in 
motion,  and  rejoicing  as  if  infused  with  new  life.  Music 
fills  the  air.  The  mountains  and  the  hills  seem  to  break 
forth  into  singing,  and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  to  clap 
their  hands  for  joy. 

Teachings. 

Such  is  the  night-season,  and  the  situation  of  man 
amid  its  gloom,  uncertainties  and  dangers ;  and  such  the 
marvellous  and  enchanting  transfiguration  which  passes 
over  the  face  of  a  country  enshrouded  in  darkness  when 
the  Sun  in  his  brightness  arises  upon  it.  No  scene  on 
earth,  no  spectacle  visible  to  man  in  the  material  universe, 
equals  in  grandeur  and  glory  tliQ  rising  of  the  Sun.  Yet 
this,  all  this,  is  but  an  emblem  of  a  far  more  wonderful  and 
glorious  event  in  the  spiritual  universe — the  rising  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  upon  the  icorhl  of  manld)id  Jying  in 
iniquity  and  moral  darkness. 

That  ^/n's  would  be  the  moral  and  religious  condition 
of  mankind,  or  rather  their  immoral  and  idolatrous  con- 
dition, at  the  time  of  Messiah's  advent,  had  been  clearly 
foretold  by  the  prophet  full  700  years  before,  in  this  ex- 
pressive and  striking  announcement:  "Behold  darkness 
shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people."  No 
words  could  have  more  correctly  described  the  actual  state 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  87 

of  the  world  when  the  Son  of  God  appeared  among  men 
than  these  employed  by  Isaiah.  Darkness,  gross  darh- 
ness,  alone  could  have  supplied  an  adequate  figure  to 
set  forth  the  condition  to  which  the  race,  Jews  as  well  as 
Gentiles,  had  sunk  at  that  period.  A  vast,  dark  and  im- 
penetrable cloud,  composed  of  ignorance,  superstition  and 
idolatrous  debasement,  had  overspread  and  settled  down 
upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  which  well-nigh  ex- 
cluded every  ray  from  heaven.  The  most  advanced  and 
highly  favored  of  the  nations  groped,  as  the  blind  for  the 
wall,  after  the  first  principles  of  truth — after  the  true 
object  of  worship,  the  origin  of  the  world,  the  powers 
that  ruled  over  it,  and  the  final  destiny  of  the  race  in- 
habiting it.  Even  those  few  individuals  that  appeared 
among  them,  who  were  endowed  with  a  superior  degree 
of  intellectual  power,  their  sages  and  philosophers,  and 
who  occasionally  obtained  a  glimpse  of  the  true  path, 
were  yet  unable  to  proceed  in  it,  but  again  lost  them- 
selves in  the  mazes  of  error  and  uncertainty,  and  dis- 
graced what  little  they  had  acquired  of  sound  wisdom 
by  an  admixture  of  the  most  extravagant  and  absurd 
opinions. 

All  certain  and  correct  knowledge  of  the  true  and  liv- 
ing God — of  liis  nature,  character  and  proper  worship — 
had  vanished  from  among  men;  and  in  his  stead,  their 
corrupt  imaginations  had  created  "  gods  many,  and  lords 
many,"  even  past  all  enumeration.  "Why  add  more 
gods?"  exclaims  Cicero:  "what  a  multitude  of  them  we 
have  already!"  We  are  informed  by  Ilosiod,  Yarro,  and 
other  ancient  authors,  that  no  less  than  30,000  sub- 
ordinate divinities  were  comprised  within  that  system  of 
idohitry  which  prevailed  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans. 
They  had  both  celestial  and  terrestrial  deities.  They 
assigned  peculiar  trods  to  the  fountains,  the  rivers,  the 


88  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

hills,  the  mountains,  the  lawns,  the  groves,  the  sea,  and 
even  to  hell  itself.  To  cities,  fields,  houses,  families,  gates, 
nuptial  chambers,  marriages,  births,  deaths,  sepulchres, 
trees  and  gardens,  they  also  appropriated  distinct  and 
peculiar  deities.  At  Athens,  the  centre  of  Greek  civiliza- 
tion and  literature,  "it  was  easier,"  Petronius  tells  us,  "to 
find  a  god  than  a  man  ;"  the  city  was  full  of  the  images, 
temples  and  altars  of  their  fictitious  divinities.  And  Rome, 
as  it  became  the  capital  of  the  world,  became  also  the 
pantheon  of  the  world,  and  the  asylum  of  deposed  and 
fugitive  gods  from  all  nations. 

The  character  also  of  the  heathen  gods  at  this  period 
was  monstrous,  demoralizing,  debasing  and  disgusting  to 
the  last  degree.  Their  highest  divinities  were  distinguished 
for  nothing  so  much  as  for  their  vices — their  cruelty, 
treachery,  murder,  lust,  and  debauchery  of  every  kind. 
They  even  set  up  beasts,  birds,  and  reptiles  as  objects  of 
worship.  "If  you  go  into  Egypt,"  says  Lucian,  "you  will 
see  Jupiter  with  the  face  of  a  ram,  Mercury  as  a  fine  dog. 
Pan  as  a  goat ;  another  god  is  Ibis,  another  the  Crocodile, 
and  another  the  Ape.  There  the  shaven  priests  gravely 
tell  us,  that  the  gods,  being  afraid  of  the  rebellion  of  the 
giants,  assumed  these  shapes." 

To  such  gods  of  superhuman  vices,  and  to  such  con- 
temptible divinities,  splendid  temples  were  erected,  adora- 
tions paid,  costly  offerings  presented,  and  rites  and 
ceremonies  performed  which  were  subversive  of  every 
principle  of  morality,  and  degrading  to  the  reason  and 
character  of  man.  The  natural  effect  of  such  devotion 
was  to  lead  the  worshipper  to  imitate  the  example  of  the 
gods  he  adored,  and  to  transform  him  into  the  same  spirit. 
Accordingly  we  find  that  the  state  of  society,  even  among 
the  Greeks  and  Romans,  was  depraved  to  the  lowest 
degree.     The  lives  of  men  of  every  class,  from  the  highest 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  89 

to  the  lowest,  ^ere  consumed  in  the  practice  of  the  most 
abominable  and  flagitious  vices;  even  crimes,  the  horrible 
turpitude  of  which  was  such  that  it  would  be  defiling  the 
ear  of  decency  but  to  name  them,  were  openly  perpetrated 
with  the  greatest  impunity.  In  the  writings  of  Lucian, 
Juvenal  and  Persius,  we  find  the  most  detestable  and  un- 
natural affections,  and  other  heinous  practices,  treated  of 
at  large,  and  with  the  utmost  familiarity,  as  things  of  or- 
dinary and  daily  occurrence.  And  if  such  were  the  people 
distinguished  beyond  all  others  by  the  excellence  of  their 
laws  and  the  superiority  of  their  attainments  in  literature 
and  the  arts,  what  must  have  been  the  state  of  those 
nations  who  possessed  none  of  these  advantages,  but  were 
governed  entirely  by  the  impulses  and  dictates  of  rude  and 
uncultivated  nature?  Verily  "darkness,"  as  the  prophet 
had  foretold,  "covered  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the 
people." 

Leaving  now  the  heathen  world,  we  turn  to  glance  at 
the  condition  and  character  of  the  Jewish  nation  at  this 
period.  From  this  people,  by  reason  of  the  Revelation 
given  them,  much  might  be  expected;  but  we  find  that 
the}'  too  had  sunk  into  spiritual  blindness,  and  erred  ex- 
ceedingly from  the  truth.  Their  very  teachers  had  come 
to  misrepresent  in  a  shocking  manner  the  character,  the 
attributes,  the  doings,  and  the  nature  of  the  True  and 
Living  God.  "In  the  prevailing  conceptions  of  the  people, 
his  justice  was  little  else  than  revenge;  his  love,  parti- 
ality; his  providence,  arbitrary  interpositions;  his  revela- 
tion, a  cabalistic  secret;  and  his  infinite  nature,  a  huge 
extension  of  the  caprices  and  passions  of  men."  His 
worship,  as  a  consequence,  had  degenerated  among  them 
into  dead  formalities  and  bare  hypocrisy.  There  were, 
indeed,  a  magnificent  temple,  an  ordained  priesthood,  a 
vast  and  gorgeous  ritual;  but  spiritual  worship,  the  vene- 


90  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

'ration  and  love  of  a  God  of  holiness,  purity  and  truth  was 
almost  unknown.  Gross  wickedness  was  frequently  hidden 
beneath  the  forms  and  the  name  of  religion.  "  The  great 
mass  of  the  Jewish  people,  at  the  time  of  Christ's  birth," 
says  Mosheim,  "were  sunk  in  the  most  profound  ignor- 
ance as  to  divine  matters;  and  the  nation,  for  the  most 
part,  devoted  to  a  flagitious  and  dissolute  course  of  life." 
The  same  authority  makes  this  further  statement, — "It 
is  unquestionable  that  the  religion  of  the  Pharisees  was, 
for  the  most  part,  founded  in  consummate  hypocrisy;  and 
that  at  the  bottom  they  were  generally  the  slaves  of  every 
vicious  appetite;  proud,  arrogant  and  avaricious;  consult- 
ing only  the  gratification  of  their  lusts,  even  at  the  mo- 
ment of  their  professing  themselves  to  be  engaged  in  the 
service  of  their  Maker." 

Such,  in  short,  were  Jews  and  Gentiles  at  the  period 
of  the  Saviour's  advent — such  the  ignorance,  idolatry  and 
degradation  that  universally  prevailed — such  the  hope- 
less and  forlorn  condition  into  which  the  whole  race  had 
sunk.  As  the  darkness  of  night  advances  and  envelops 
the  earth,  the  fair  face  of  Nature  fades  from  the  sight, 
every  object  and  every  scene  becomes  indistinct,  and  pre- 
sently wholly  obscured,  and  all  that  can  cheer  the  eye  or 
direct  the  steps  vanish  ;  so  the  growth  of  innate  depravi- 
ties, and  the  accumulation  of  religious  errors,  augmenting 
and  darkening  from  age  to  age,  at  length  banished  the 
knowledge  of  God  and  his  truth  from  the  understanding 
of  men,  and  the  love  of  justice,  purity  and  benevolence 
from  their  hearts,  till  all  that  was  ennobling  to  the  soul, 
cheering  to  the  heart,  supporting  to  the  hopes,  or  direct- 
ive to  the  action,  passed  away  from  the  minds  of  man- 
kind, and  left  them,  like  the  face  of  Nature  at  night, 
enveloped  in  gloom  and  obscurity.  Deep  spiritual  dark- 
ness, like  the  pall  of  death,  settled  down  upon  the  whole 
earth. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  91 

It  was  at  this  period  of  supreme  degeneracy  and  hope- 
lessness that  Eternal  Mercy  cast  an  eye  of  pity  upon  the 
abode  of  man.  As  the  Sun  of  Nature,  heralded  by  "  the 
bright  and  morning  star,"  arises  upon  a  region  wrapped 
in  obscurity  and  gloom,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
heralded  by  that  "  bright  and  shining  light,"  the  Baptist, 
arose  upon  the  world  of  mankind,  shrouded  and  buried  in 
tlie  darkness  and  degradation  of  this  prolonged  night. 
Like  the  Sun,  a  Divine  and  Glorious  Orb,  he  illumined 
the  world  with  his  truth,  and  revealed  all  things  therein 
in  their  true  and  real  character.  His  bright  and  benig- 
nant beams,  wherever  they  fell,  dispersed  the  dank  mists 
of  ignorance,  chased  away  the  illusions  of  superstition, 
and  banished  the  phantom  gods  with  which  idolatry  had 
infested  sea  and  land  and  air.  Pouring  a  flood  of  light 
from  above  upon  benighted  humanity,  he  opened  up  to 
them  views  of  the  One  Living  and  True  God,  of  them- 
selves, of  duty,  of  happiness  and  immortality,  such  as  the 
world  had  never  heard  or  known  before.  "The  people 
that  had  so  long  satin  darkness  saw  great  light;  and 
even  to  them  who  had  lain  in  the  region  and  shadow  of 
death  light  now  sprang  up."  Their  night  was  turned  to 
day;  and  their  intellectual  and  moral  field  of  view  was 
become  bright  and  inspiring  as  the  landscape  in  its 
morning  dews.  "Old  things  had  passed  away;  behold 
all  things  were  become  new  ;"  existence  appeared  in  a  new 
light,  life  was  invested  with  new  interest,  and  eterniti) 
inspired  new  hopes. 


92  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ANALOGY    VI. 

As  the  Sun  arises  upon  the  tvorld  vnlh  a  flood  of  health  in  his  warm  and 
lightening  beams, — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  upon  mankind, 
'■'with  healing  in  his  iciiiys. " 

Phenomena. 

The  Sunbeam — this  is  one  of  the  marvels  and  high 
mysteries  of  creation !  Of  all  the  elements  or  agencies 
that  play  an  important  part  in  the  material  universe  it  is 
the  most  remarkable,  and  the  most  potential  and  far- 
reaching  in  its  influence.  Nothing  escapes  or  eludes  its 
power.  Plants,  animals,  and  even  minerals  own  its 
sway.  Over  all  and  through  all  and  for  all  it  extends  its 
ethereal  forces.  Every  motion  of  air  or  ocean,  every 
enjoyment  of  man  or  beast,  every  charm  of  color  or 
golden  glow,  which  overspreads  the  rolling  globe,  is 
directly  dependent  upon  its  warm  and  luminous  powers. 
,  In  a  word,  the  Sun's  beams  daily  descend  to  the  earth 
laden  with  the  elements  of  life  and  health  to  all  that 
breathe,  or  move,  or  grow  upon  its  whole  surface. 

To  speak  more  particularly — The  Sun  arises  with  heal- 
ing in  his  beams  to  the  Atmosphere  of  the  earth.  The 
atmosphere  is  composed  mainly  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen, 
mixed  in  nearly  the  proportion  of  one  io  four ;  but  with 
this  mixture  is  invariably  associated  a  small  proportion 
of  carbonic  acid  gas.  The  latter  is  poisonous  to  all  air- 
breathing  animals;  a  few  inspirations  of  it,  in  a  pure  or 
concentrated  state,  are  sufficient  to  extinguish  life ;  but 
the  quantity  existing  in  the  air — only  about  1-2, 000th 
part  of  its  volume — is  so  small  that  it  is  productive  of  no 
harm.  There  are,  however,  numerous  causes  in  con- 
stant operation  that  tend  to  destroy  this  balance,  and 
produce  a  noxious  excess  of  carbonic  acid.  We  our- 
selves unceasingly  manufacture  this  deadly  gas.     With 


PRIMARY   GLOBE.  93 

every  inspiration  we  necessarily  draw  into  the  lungs  the 
minute  portion  of  it  naturally  mixed  with  the  air;  but 
with  every  expiration  we  throw  out  sixty  times  the 
quantity  taken  in ;  and  the  whole  amount  of  carbon  thus 
daily  carried  off  from  the  lungs  of  a  healthy  adult 
amounts  to  from  nine  to  twelve  ounces.  This,  at  first 
thought,  may  appear  small  and  of  little  consequence; 
but  let  these  nine  or  twelve  ounces  be  multiplied  by 
ticelve  hundred  millions,  the  number  of  the  earth's  inhab- 
itants, and  the  product  again  \)y  the  number  of  days  in 
a  year,  and  the  annual  amount  will  be  found  to  be  enor- 
mous. 

The  quantity  of  this  gas  produced  by  the  respiration  of 
beasts,  birds  and  all  the  lower  animals,  has  been  esti- 
mg-ted  to  amount  to  more  than  twice  that  of  the  human 
population  of  the  globe.  Kn  amount  still  more  enormous 
is  produced  by  the  decomposition  of  animal  and  vege- 
table matter  over  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  and  by 
the  combustion  of  all  the  oil  and  coal  used  for  light  and 
fuel — every  candle,  every  lamp,  every  stove,  every  forge 
and  furnace,  sends  forth  its  stream  of  this  poison  into  the 
air.  Add  to  all  this  the  vast  volumes  that  issue  from 
hundreds  of  volcanoes,  from  earthquake  fissures,  from 
mineral  springs,  and  numerous  other  sources — and  we 
have  a  total  production  of  carbonic  acid,  which,  unless 
by  some  means  checked  or  counteracted,  would  evidently 
at  no  distant  day  so  charge  the  atmosphere  with  its  poi- 
son as  to  render  it  utterly  unfit  to  breathe;  so  small  a 
proportion  of  this  gas  in  the  air  as  ten  per  cent,  would  be 
sufficient  to  bring  about  universal  death. 

How  then  is  this  fatal  result  avoided  ?  By  what  means 
is  the  atmosphere  preserved  in  a  healthy  condition  ? 
Mainly  through  the  influence  of  the  sunbeams.  The  Sun 
rouses  the  vegetation  of  the  whole  globe  into  daily  activ- 


94  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ity  to  take  up  and  dispose  of  the  excess  of  carbonic  acid 
produced  in  the  ways  just  named.  The  leaves  of  trees, 
shrubs  and  plants,  together  with  every  blade  of  grass, 
bathed  in  the  air  as  they  ever  are,  under  the  stimulus  of 
Light,  extract  from  it  the  chief  bulk  of  the  carbon  which 
goes  to  build  up  the  woody  substance  of  the  tree,  shrub, 
or  stalk  to  which  they  belong.  The  leaves  can  perform 
this  function  only  so  long  as  they  are  stimulated  by  the 
light  of  the  Sun;  in  the  night  the  process  ceases,  but  in 
the  day-time  the  leaves  and  grass  blades,  like  the  lungs  of 
animals,  are  everywhere  and  constantly  at  work  upon 
the  atmosphere,  seizing  upon  the  particles  of  carbonic 
acid  in  it  that  come  in  contact  with  them  ;  and,  while  they 
liberate  the  oxygen  and  restore  it  to  the  air,  they  fix  the 
carbon  in  their  own  substance.  And  thus  the  vast  and 
numerous  causes  which  tend  to  vitiate  the  atmosphere, 
are,  through  the  influence  of  the  Sun  upon  the  vegetation, 
effectually  counteracted,  and  the  balance  of  the  gases  and 
the  healthy  condition  of  the  air  maintained  unimpaired. 
It  is  therefore  literally  true  that  the  Sun  daily  arises  with 
healing  in  his  beams  to  the  atmosphere  of  the  whole 
world. 

Again,  the  Sun  arises  with  light  and  health  in  his 
beams  to  the  Vegetation  of  the  world.  The  intluence 
of  Light  upon  vegetable  life  has  been  long  and  success- 
fully studied  by  the  botanist  and  the  chemist.  Their 
experiments  and  researches  have  placed  it  bejond  a 
doubt,  that  the  rays  of  the  Sun  exert  the  most  marked 
intluence  on  the  respiration,  the  absorption  and  the  exha- 
lation of  plants,  and  consequently  on  their  general  health 
and  growth  and  fruitfulness. 

The  light  and  heat  of  the  Sun  are  essential  to  every- 
thing that  springs  out  of  the  ground.  The  plant,  of  what- 
ever character,  through  every  stage  of  its  existence,  de- 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  95 

rives  its  health  and  energies  directly  from  the  Sun.  It 
is  by  his  genial  warmth  that  its  germ  in  the  buried  seed  is 
first  quickened  into  activity.  And  when  its  leaflets  shoot 
forth  into  the  air,  it  is  from  the  Sun's  rays  that  these 
derive  their  power  to  absorb  water,  carbonic  acid  and 
ammonia,  and  to  construct  these  materials  into  the 
woody  substances  of  which  the  plant  consists.  And  it  is 
still  through  the  influence  of  the  Sun  that  its  growth  is 
carried  on  to  maturity,  and  finally  its  flowers  to  gems  of 
beauty,  and  its  fruit  to  ripeness  and  perfection. 

Deprived  of  the  light  of  the  Sun  no  tree,  or  plant,  or 
blade  of  grass  will  thrive,  and  attain  its  natural  perfec- 
tion. It  is  true,  indeed,  that  the  vegetative  process  will 
go  on  in  some  sort,  and  to  a  limited  extent,  even  in  abso- 
lute darkness;  but  it  will  be  a  sickly  process;  light  is 
indispensable  to  the  vigor  and  to  the  useful  and  orna- 
mental properties  of  plants.  When  deprived  of  light,  all 
plants  nearly  agree  in  the  qualities  of  their  juices;  the 
most  pungent  then  become  insipid,  the  most  fragrant 
inodorous,  and  the  most  variegated  of  a  uniform  whiteness. 
To  the  agency  of  light,  therefore,  vegetation  owes  its 
taste,  its  smell,  its  color,  and  all  its  important  properties. 
So  necessary  is  light  to  the  health  of  plants,  that  many 
of  them  will  spontaneously  throw  open  wide  their  flow- 
ers, and  even  exert  a  limited  power  of  locomotion,  bend- 
ing towards  it,  in  order  to  catch  its  vivifying  influences. 

Vegetation,  in  all  its  forms,  and  throughout  the  world, 
proclaims  its  dependence  on  the  great  orb  of  day,  and 
owns  that  every  function  of  its  life  is  due  to  his  mysteri- 
ous influences.  Every  tree  that  spreads  its  green  leaves 
to  the  breeze,  every  fruit  that  blushes  in  the  sunshine, 
and  every  flower  that  lends  its  beauty  to  the  earth — the 
cedar  that  waves  its  extended  branches  on  the  heights  of 
Lebanon,  and  the  pure  white  lily  that  floats  on  the  bosom 


96  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  the  lake — the  climbing  lianas  of  the  forest,  and  the 
delicate  rose  of  the  garden — the  contorted  cactus  of 
the  burning  plains,  and  the  reindeer  lichen  of  the  arc- 
tic hills — the  greatest  and  the  humblest  of  the  vegetable 
creations — all,  without  a  dissentient  voice,  ascribe  their 
life,  their  health,  their  beauty  to  those  ethereal  forces 
which  daily  visit  them  in  the  sunbeam.  Travel  we 
round  the  earth,  and  one  sweet  note,  echoed  from  plant 
to  plant  and  breathed  from  flower  to  flower,  attends  our 
footsteps  through  every  clime — All  to  the  Sun  ice  oive. 

The  Sun  also  arises  with  health  in  his  beams  to  all  the 
Living  Tenants  of  the  world.  This  is  obvious  from 
what  has  already  been  stated ;  for,  in  preserving  the 
purity  of  the  air  for  their  respiration,  and  promoting  the 
growth  of  vegetation  for  their  sustenance,  he  most  effec- 
tually promotes  their  health  and  their  welfare  in  all 
respects.  But  in  addition  to  this,  the  Sun's  warm,  and 
luminous  beams  exert  directly  a  salutary  influence  upon 
all  animated  nature.  His  light  and  heat  are  the  essen- 
tial stimulants  of  vital  force.  All  living  creatures  expe- 
rience these,  and  attest  the  benefits  they  derive  from 
them.  The  young  beasts  are  animated  into  gambols 
beneath  his  quickening  rays ;  the  birds  attune  tlieir  mu- 
sic to  his  praises ;  the  insects  in  myriads  and  millions  are 
on  the  wing  to  welcome  his  return  ;  and  every  thing  that 
breathes,  or  moves,  rejoices  at  his  appearance.  As  he 
diffuses  light,  so  he  diffuses  life  and  health  throughout 
creation  ;  and  without  him  all  nature  would  droop  and 
languish  and  die. 

And  the  beams  of  the  rising  Sun — how  charged  with 
health  and  spirits  to  Man  himself.  What  serenity  they 
diffuse  over  his  soul — with  what  activity  they  inspire  his 
whole  mind  and  body.  "  Delicate  and  mysterious, 
indeed,"  says  Professor  Johnston,  "is  the  relation   which 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  97 

our  bodies  bear  to  the  passing  light.  How  our  feelings, 
and  even  our  appearance,  change  with  every  change  of 
the  sky  !  When  the  San  shines,  the  blood  flows  freely, 
and  the  spirits  are  light  and  buoyant.  When  gloom 
overspreads  the  heavens,  dulness  and  sober  thoughts 
possess  the  mind.  The  energy  is  greater,  the  body  is 
actually  stronger,  in  the  bright  light  of  day ;  while  the 
health  is  manifestly  promoted,  digestion  hastened,  and 
the  color  made  to  play  on  the  cheek,  when  the  rays  of 
sunshine  are  allowed  freely  to  sport  around  us."*  On  the 
other  hand,  "deprivation  of  the  light  of  the  Sun  is  rap- 
idly followed  by  disease  of  the  animal  frame,  and  the 
destruction  of  the  mental  faculties.  We  have  proof  of 
this  in  the  squalor  of  those  whose  necessities  compel 
them  to  labor  in  places  to  which  the  blessings  of  sun- 
shine never  penetrate,  as  in  our  coal  mines,  where  men 
having  everything  necessary  for  health,  except  light, 
exhibit  a  singularly  unhealthy  appearance.  The  state 
of  fatuity  and  wretchedness  to  which  those  individuals 
have  been  reduced,  who  have  been  subjected  to  years  of 
incarceration  in  dark  dungeons,  may  be  referred  to  the 
same  deprivation. "'j' 

Long  and  careful  observation  in  the  great  cities  of  Eu- 
rope has  established  the  conclusion,  that  the  free  and 
constant  influences  of  light  are  found  very  favorable  to 
the  regular  conformation  of  the  human  body,  and  to  the 
vigorous  development  of  the  mental  faculties.  Deform- 
ity and  idiocy  are  most  frequently  found,  and  frightful 
diseases  commit  their  most  terrible  ravac;es,  in  the  ill- 
lighted  habitations  of  narrow  streets  and  northern  expo- 
sure, where  the  salutary  beams  of  light  seldom,  or  in  but 
scanty  measures,  shed  their  beneficial  influence. 

*  Chemistry  of  Common  Life,  vol.  ii.,  p.  330. 
f  JTiaU'ti  Poetry  of  Science,  p.  302. 


98  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

The  due  and  daily  influence  of  sunlight  also  contrib- 
utes much  to  the  recovery  of  the  sick.  A  well-lighted 
apartment,  and  one  commanding  a  southern  view,  is  the 
most  desirable  and  promising  to  the  feeble  invalid.  Re- 
liable statistics  prove  that,  in  general,  the  chances  of 
recovery  in  the  well-lighted  wards  of  hospitals  are  four 
to  one,  as  compared  to  the  chances  in  ill-lighted  or  dark 
wards.  "Light,"  says  Dr.  Chapin  Child,  "is  one  of  the 
best  and  cheapest  of  Nature's  tonics;  and  unless  it  be 
habitually  absorbed,  neither  animal  nor  vegetable  can 
permaijently  prosper.  Hence  this  needful  medicament, 
by  Divine  arrangement,  is  poured  out  in  daily  streams 
upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth."''' 

So  true  is  it,  and  so  manifest,  that  the  Sun  daily  rises 
with  a  flood  of  health  in  his  silvery  beams  to  the  Atmo- 
sphere, to  the  Vegetation,  and  to  the  Living  Tenants  of 
the  whole  world: 

Teachings. 

In  all  this  we  have  a  beautiful  and  instructive  analogy 
to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arising  with  healing  in  his 
wings  upon  the  world  of  mankind. 

When  Jesus,  in  the  fulness  of  age,  came  forth  from 
Nazareth  to  assume  publicly  the  duties  of  his  Divinely 
appointed  office  as  a  Teacher  sent  from  God,  it  was  as  the 
comina;  out  of  the  Sun  from  the  chambers  of  the  East  to 
illumine  the  earth;  and,  like  that  orb,  while  pouring  a 
flood  of  light  on  all  around  him,  he  remained  himself  a 
wonder  and  a  mystery  to  all  who  witnessed  his  deeds  or 
listened  to  his  words.  "They  were  astonished  beyond 
measure,"  and  retired  from  his  presence  exclaiming, 
"  Whence  has  this  man  such  wisdom ! " 

As   the   Sun   of   Nature   arises   to  purify  the   air  we 

*  JSenedicile,  p.  96. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  99 

breathe,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  to  purge  the 
Moral  Atmosphere  of  the  world.  The  moral  atmosphere 
of  Judea,  and  of  the  whole  earth,  at  that  day,  as  we  have 
seen  in  the  preceding  chapter,  had  become  vitiated  to  a 
deplorable  degree.  Corruption  of  morals  and  principles, 
like  poisonous  gases,  had  been  augmenting  and  thicken- 
ing in  it  from  age  to  age.  Every  depraved  heart  of  man, 
like  the  smoking  lamp — idol  temples,  like  stifling  furnaces 
— and  cruel  wars,  like  the  desolating  and  sulphurous 
streams  of  volcanoes — had  long  been  sending  forth  their 
demoralizing  and  debasing  influences,  with  scarce  an 
intermission.  All  had  become  corrupt  and  corrupting. 
Divine  worship  had  ceased  to  be  understood,  and  human 
virtues  had  ceased  to  be  practised.  Devotion  and  love 
toward  God,  and  rectitude  and  benevolence  toward  man, 
had  become  empty  names.  Power  had  usurped  the  seat 
of  justice,  and  vice  had  assumed  the  garb  of  virtue. 
Friendship  had  degenerated  into  a  tissue  of  hypocrisy. 
And  a  spirit  of  selfishness  had  dried  up  the  springs  of  all 
genuine  goodness. 

Such  was  the  infected  and  deadly  atmosphere  in  which 
mankind  lived  and  moved  and  had  their  being  when  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  upon  the  ^vorld.  To  restore 
that  atmosphere  to  salubrity,  he  poured  down  upon  it,  as 
in  radiant  beams,  the  lessons  of  Divine  truth  and  wisdom 
and  love.  And  to  rouse  men  from  their  deep  and  deepen- 
ing stupor  in  it,  he  announced  to  them  the  Being  and  the 
Presence  of  the  one  living  and  true  God — acquainted 
them  with  the  nature  of  his  acceptable  worship — pro- 
claimed the  purity  and  solemn  sanctions  of  the  Divine 
Law — made  known  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  its 
strict  judgment  at  the  last  day — revealed  the  glories  and 
felicities  of  heaven,  and  uncovered  the  dread  enormous 
woes  of  hell — exhibited   virtue  in  its  native  loveliness, 


uniVERSITV  OF  REDLANDS  LIBIMRy 

100  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  vice  in  its  odious  deformity — showed  the  greatness 
of  a  meek  and  humble  spirit  as  compared  with  that  of 
pride  and  haughtiness,  the  superiority  of  a  forgiving  mind 
over  that  under  the  dominion  of  malice  and  revenge,  the 
dignity  of  love  and  beneficence  in  contrast  with  ill-will 
and  selfishness.  And  all  this  he  exemplified  and  enforced 
by  his  own  spotless  and  winning  example,  his  whole  life 
being  a  beautiful  picture  of  human  nature  in  its  sinless 
purity,  simplicity  and  loveliness.  He  stood  before  men 
the  embodiment  of  all  essential  goodness;  and,  as  he 
moved  to  and  fro,  as  he  labored  or  rested,  healing  virtue 
went  out  of  him  to  the  benefit  of  dying  humanity. 

Nor  was  this  all.  As  the  Sun  of  Nature  stimulates 
the  vegetation  of  the  whole  globe  into  activity  to  check 
the  increase  of  the  poisonous  carbonic  acid  in  the  air,  not 
a  plant,  not  a  leaf  remaining  inactive, — so  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  inspired,  and  still  inspires,  his  every  fol- 
lower, as  so  many  trees  and  plants  of  righteousness,  to 
holy  activity  in  counteracting  and  abating  the  corruption 
of  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the  world,  not  a  soul  being 
exempted  or  excused  from  bearing  his  part  in  the  work. 
And  as  the  plant  in  eliminating  the  carbonic  acid  from 
the  air  acquires  its  appropriate  food — carbon,  and  pro- 
motes its  own  growth  thereby;  so  likewise  the  followers 
of  Christ,  by  their  very  labors  to  abate  the  evils  that  are 
in  the  world  and  to  promote  its  welfare,  add  to  their  own 
strength  and  further  their  own  spiritual  welfare;  the  effort 
to  save  others  is  transmuted  into  an  element  of  life  to 
themselves.  Such  are  the  beautiful  economies  of  Nature 
and  of  Grace — in  both,  not  a  ray  of  light  is  bestowed  in 
vain ;  in  both,  not  an  individual  is  to  remain  inactive  ; 
in  both,  not  a  duty  is  performed  but  it  brings  its  recom- 
pense or  reward. 

These  elements  of  healing,  these  forces  for  the  purifica- 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  IQl 

tion  of  the  moral  atmosphere,  brought  in  and  ordained 
by  Jesus  Christ,  have  never  ceased  to  be  operative  and 
effectual  for  that  end.  There  is  not,  and  there  never  has 
been,  a  country  or  region  of  the  world,  in  which  his 
Gospel  has  been  received,  where  its  power  has  not  been 
made  manifest  in  the  most  astonishing  changes  produced 
in  the  moral  habits  of  society,  and  in  the  moral  atmo- 
sphere which  they  breathe. 

The  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with  healing  in  his 
wings  also  for  the  Bodily  Maladies  of  men.  "  He  was 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmity."  His  heart 
was  moved  with  compassion,  and  his  compassion  moved 
his  almighty  power  for  their  relief.  "  Wherever  he  came," 
says  the  devout  and  eloquent  Dr.  Harris,  "disea.^e  and 
suffering  fled  from  his  presence.  His  path  might  be 
traced  from  place  to  place  in  lines  of  life,  and  health,  and 
joy.  Where  he  was  expected,  the  public  way  was 
thronged  with  forms  of  helplessness,  disease,  and  woe. 
Where  he  had  passed,  the  restored  might  be  seen  making 
trial  of  their  new-found  powers ;  listeners  formed  into 
groups,  to  hear  the  tale  of  healing ;  and  the  delighted 
objects  of  his  compassion  rehearsing  with  earnestness 
what  had  passed,  imitating  perhaps  his  tones,  and  even 
trying  to  convey  an  idea  of  his  condescending  ways.  His 
voice  was  the  first  sound  which  many  of  them  heard  ;  his 
name  the  first  word  they  had  pronounced ;  his  blessed 
form  the  first  sight  they  liad  ever  beheld.  And  often,  at 
the  close  of  a  laborious  day,  when  his  wearied  frame  re- 
quired repose,  the  children  of  affliction  besieged  his 
retreat,  and  implored  his  help.  Nor  did  they  implore  in 
vain  ;  wearied  and  worn  as  he  was,  he  pleased  not  him- 
self; he  went  forth,  and  patiently  listened  to  all  their 
t.des  of  woe,  tasted  their  several  complaints,  raised  each 
suppliant  from  the  dust,  nor  left  them  till  he  had  absorbed 


102  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

their  sufferings,  and  healed  them  all.  He  went  through 
the  land  like  a  current  of  vital  air,  an  element  of  life, 
diffusing  health  and  joy  wherever  he.  appeared."  This  is 
his  record — "And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching 
in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  sickness,  and  all 
manner  of  disease  among  the  people.  And  his  fame 
went  throughout  all  Syria :  and  they  brought  unto  him 
all  sick  people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and 
torments,  and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and 
those  which  were  lunatic,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy, 
and  he  healed  them."  Jesus  of  Nazareth !  how  true  of 
thee  the  words  spoken  by  the  holy  prophet,  he  shall  arise 
with  healing  in  his  wings. 

Accain — The  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with  healins; 
in  his  wings  for  the  Sin-sick  Souls  of  men.  The  Race 
for  whose  deliverance  he  came  into  the  world  was 
diseased  in  soul  as  well  as  in  body.  Sin,  like  a  fatal 
malady,  had  affected  their  whole  being.  Indeed,  the 
source  of  their  chief  misery  and  danger  lay  in  the  dis- 
orders of  the  soul ;  these  were  incurable  b}'  any  earthly 
remedy,  and  always  tending  to  a  fatal  issue.  Bodily  dis- 
eases are  but  as  types  of  the  more  terrible  diseases  of  the 
mind.  What  is  lust,  but  a  corroding  Leprosy  in  the 
system?  What  is  jealons//,  but  a  Cancer  gnawing  within 
the  soul  ?  What  is  discontentment,  but  Dyspepsia,  un- 
suited  with  food  of  whatever  kind  ?  What  is  envy,  but  a 
Jaundiced  eye,  seeing  the  things  of  others  in  a  coloring 
of  its  own?  What  \s  selfishness,  hvit  an  x\gue,  cold  and 
cheerless  even  in  the  sunshine  ?  What  is  pride,  but 
Lunacy  feeding  on  imaginary  worth  or  greatness?  What 
is  anger,  but  a  Fever,  hot  and  hurried?  What  is  <ir((- 
rice,  but  a  Dropsy  still  accumulating  more  and  more? 
In  short,  there  are  as  many  diseases  of  the  soul  as  there 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  105 

are  of  the  body ;  and  there  is  not,  perhaps,  a  spiritual 
malady  but  has  its  analogue  among  those  that  are  cor- 
poreal. 

Add  to  all  this  the  fact  that  sin  affects  the  soul  as  dis- 
ease affects  the  body.  In  bodily  disease,  some  part  or 
parts  of  the  system  do  not  properly  and  freely  perform 
their  office ;  there  is  always  some  weakness,  some  ob- 
struction or  derangement :  it  is  the  same  with  the  mala- 
dies of  sin ;  the  powers  and  functions  of  the  soul  are 
injured  and  interrupted — the  understanding  is  darkened, 
the  conscience  is  deadened,  the  affections  are  debased,  the 
taste  is  vitiated,  the  will  is  perverted.  As  disease  of  the 
body  soon  deprives  it  of  its  beauty,  of  its  appetite  and 
freedom  and  strength;  so  sin  deprives  the  soul  of  its 
moral  beauty,  of  its  appetite  for  spiritual  food,  of  its 
freedom  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  of  its  strength  to 
serve  and  honor  him.  And,  as  disease  of  the  body,  unless 
arrested  and  cured,  tends  to  its  final  dissolution;  so  sin 
in  the  soul,  unless  subdued  and  extinguished,  will  inevit- 
ably issue  in  its  eternal  ruin. 

Such  is  the  infection  of  sin,  and  such  were  the  maladies 
under  which  our  liapless  Race  labored  and  suffered  when 
Jesus  appeared  among  men.  All  were  sick,  all  were 
alike  affected ;  there  were  none  whole  or  well,  no,  not 
one.  The  world  was  as  one  vast  hospital,  with  its  every 
ward  fall  of  corruption  and  guilt  and  misery.  All  were 
sinking  together  under  the  power  and  progress  of  their 
sad  maladies,  when  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with 
healing  in  his  wings  upon  them  all.  And,  oh  what 
health,  what  cheer,  what  hope  did  his  blessed  beams 
brinir  to  dvins;  men  ! 

He  arose  in  the  Jiealing  jyoicer  of  a  Love  that  took  upon 
himself  our  griefs,  and  carried  our  sorrows — that  sub- 
mitted to  be  wounded  for  our  transtrressions  and  bruised  for 


106  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

our  iniquities — that  led  him  to  pour  out  his  soul  an  offer- 
ing unto  God  on  our  behalf,  and  by  his  death  to  make  a 
full  and  sufficient  atonement  for  the  sin  of  the  world  ! 
No  balm  could  ever  have  been  poured  into  human  wounds 
so  healing  as  this  Love  of  God  in  Christ;  and  no  cordial 
administered  so  reviving  to  the  fainting  spirits  of  men,  as 
this  sweet  message  brought  down  to  earth  on  his  benig- 
nant beams,  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 
only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life." 

He  arose  in  the  healing  power  of  Divine  Truth — truth 
which  revealed  to  men  at  once  their  disease  and  their 
remedy,  their  lost  estate  and  their  only  means  of  salva- 
tion— truth  which  was  able  to  make  them  wise  unto  life 
eternal,  by  opening  their  eyes  to  see  the  Fountain  opened 
for  sin  and  uncleanness,  where  the  dying  might  wash  and 
be  made  whole. 

He  arose  in  the  healing  poicer  of  the  Spirit  of  Gh^ace.  The 
inestimable  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  he  obtained  and  be- 
stowed upon  men,  enlightening  their  minds,  subduing  the 
powers  of  sin,  implanting  new  and  holy  dispositions,  be- 
getting hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  elevating 
their  affections,  sanctifying  all  the  powers  of  the  soul, 
and  makinof  the  entire  man  a  7ieio  creature. 

Yes,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with  abundant 
and  effectual  healing  in  his  wings  for  all  the  ills  and  mal- 
adies of  sin.  Let  the  spiritual  invalid,  whatever  be  his 
case,  hasten  to  his  light;  let  him  cast  his  soul  beneath  his 
beams,  and  in  the  words  of  the  son  of  Jesse  cry,  "'  Ileal 
my  soul,  for  I  liave  sinned,"  and  health  shall  flow  again 
through  all  the  parts  and  powers  of  his  being. 

Once  more — The  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with  heal- 
ing in  his  wings  for  the  Social  Evils  under  which  man- 
kind suffered.    Sin  had  introduced  manifold  disorders  and 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  107 

evils  into  the  social  institutions,  as  well  as  into  the  souls 
and  bodies  of  men,  which  wrought  misery  and  destruc- 
tion to  unnumbered  millions.  But  the  just  and  humane 
precepts,  the  spirit  of  benevolence  and  brotherly  love,  en- 
joined by  Jesus  Christ,  proved  a  "mollifying  ointment  for 
these  wounds,  and  bruises,  and  putrefying  sores"  of  hu- 
manity. His  Gospel,  wherever  received,  has  wrought 
the  most  benignant  changes  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 
It  has  brought  another  atmosphere  into  the  Family — abol- 
ishing polygamy  and  capricious  divorces,  softening  pa- 
rental authority,  and  raising  woman  from  miserable  sub- 
jection and  drudgery  to  a  condition  of  respect,  influence, 
and  happiness  in  society.  It  has  given  another  spirit  to 
the  State — it  has  abolished  cruel  laws,  mitigated  the  hor- 
rors of  war,  restrained  violence  and  oppression,  infused  a 
spirit  of  justice  and  humanity  into  governments  and  soci- 
ety, advocated  the  rights  of  the  poor  and  suffering,  re- 
moved the  fetters  of  the  slave,  and  stimulated  moral 
reform  and  progress  in  every  direction. 

The  advent  of  Christ  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era 
in  the  spirit  of  communities  and  in  the  policy  of  States. 
When  he  appeared  among  men,  neither  the  Jews  nor  the 
Gentiles  had  any  certain  provision,  or  any  public  places 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  sick,  the  poor,  the  widow 
or  the  orphan  ;  nor  was  there  a  single  hospital  in  the 
whole  heathen  world.  But  behold  what  his  gospel  hath 
wrought!  Every  Christian  country  abounds  with  char- 
itable institutions  for  all  these  classes.  The  flow  of  be- 
neficence, proceeding  from  this  Divine  source,  among 
Christian  nations,  and  especially  in  our  own  happy  land, 
has  left  no  means  untried  for  ameliorating  the  condition 
of  the  sick  and  the  poor; — it  has  provided  homes  for  the 
aged  and  the  orphan ;  it  has  erected  hospitals  and  dispen- 
saries for  the  unfortunate  and  impoverished;  it  has  fur- 


108  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

nished  asylums  for  every  grade  and  class  of  suffering  hu- 
manity ;  it  has  extended  its  efforts  to  the  abodes  of  guilt 
and  crime,  and  has  undertaken  to  put  within  the  reach 
even  of  the  prisoner,  all  the  comforts  that  are  compatible 
with  the  claims  of  justice. 

Christianity  has  taken  the  lead,  and  been  the  chief 
author  and  promoter  of  all  that  is  good  and  praiseworthy 
and  enduring  in  our  modern  civilization ;  and  whatever 
hopes  we  may  entertain  for  the  future  progress  and  ameli- 
oration of  the  race,  they  must  still  depend  on  him  from 
whose  healing  beams  come  down  all  life,  all  health,  all 
good  to  man 


ANALOGY  VII. 

As  the  Sun  arises  for  the  good  of  the  whole  globe  of  nature — so  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  arose  to  benefit  and  to  bless  the  whole  world  of  mankind. 

Phenomena. 

Few  subjects,  if  any,  are  more  w^orthy  of  study,  as  few 
repay  the  labor  of  study  with  richer  rewards,  than  the 
grand  harmonies  which  subsist  between  the  system  of 
Nature  and  the  kingdom  of  Grace.  To  the  contempla- 
tive mind  this  is  a  field  of  sublime  interest.  Man  is  ever 
delighted  with  the  discovery  of  useful  or  important  truth, 
and  the  discoveries  made  here  concerning  the  wisdom,  the 
munificence,  the  grace,  of  the  Great  Supreme,  often  flash 
upon  the  mind  as  the  smile  of  sunlight  upon  the  captive 
in  his  dark  prison.  The  scenes  and  changes,  witnessed 
in  the  world  around,  when  considered  in  this  aspect,  not 
unfrequently  open  up  trains  of  thought  that  come  in  upon 
the  soul  with  all  the  freshness  of  a  new  revelation.  To 
discern  in   the  general  and  impartial  ordinances  of  Na- 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  109 

ture  a  pleasing  evidence  of  the  universal  and  impartial 
love  of  God  for  all  his  earthly  children,  never  fails  to 
calm  and  refresh  the  soul ;  and  to  see  in  the  invariable 
operation  and  steady  march  of  physical  laws,  throughout 
the  world,  a  clear  reflection  of  the  unfaltering  hand  of 
Omnipotence,  conducting  to  their  destiny  all  the  dwellers 
upon  earth,  ever  reassures  and  strengthens  our  faith. 
Such  is  the  nature  of  the  subject  to  which  the  present 
analogy  invites  our  contemplation. 

God  governs  the  material  world  according  to  general 
laws ;  and  the  administration  of  these  laws  is  the  same  in 
all  parts,  and  for  all  its  living  inhabitants.  He  guides  its 
forces,  combines  and  moulds  its  substances,  and  brings 
about  its  recurriiig  changes,  according  to  the  same  laws, 
in  all  climes,  and  through  all  time.  The  whole  globe  is 
subject  to  the  same  grand  rotations,  to  the  same  round  of 
seasons,  the  same  interchange  of  day  and  night.  The 
same  atmosphere  envelops  the  whole  earth,  the  same 
ocean-waters  overspread  it  on  every  side,  and  the  same 
Sun  warms  and  illumines  it  from  pole  to  pole.  And 
these  great  elements  of  Nature  move  and  operate  respec- 
tively according  to  the  same  uniform  laws  the  w^orld  over; 
they  have  never  been  known  to  act  differently  in  one 
region  from  what  they  do  in  another.  Whether  we  tra- 
verse the  plains,  or  climb  the  mountains,  or  sail  upon  the 
seas,  we  find  these  laws  in  undeviating  operation.  Grav- 
itation exerts  its  power  according  to  the  same  rule;  tides 
rise  and  fall  after  the  same  periodicity;  gases  combine  in 
the  same  proportions;  light  is  reflected  and  refracted  at 
the  same  angles;  heat  is  radiated  and  the  air  is  con- 
densed or  rarefled  after  the  same  rules;  and  dew  and 
rain  and  snow  are  produced  under  the  same  circum- 
stances and  according  to  the  same  process — whether  we 
stand  on  this  or  that  side  of  the  globe.  The  ordinances 
of  Nature  are  the  same  to  all. 


no  THE    CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

In  the  present  chapter,  however,  we  are  concerned 
more  especially  with  the  equal  and  uniform  rule  of  the 
great  "  lord  of  day."  Tlie  Sun  shines  equally  on  all  2^arts 
of  the  earth's  surface.  His  beams  leave  no  region,  no  isle, 
no  spot  unvisited.  "  His  going  (orth  is  from  the  end  of 
the  heaven,  and  his  circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it;  and  there 
is  nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof."  He  illumines 
equally  the  sea  and  the  land,  the  glowing  tropics  and 
the  icy  poles.  All  countries  upon  the  ffice  of  the  earth, 
in  respect  to  time,  equally  enjoy  the  light  of  the  Sun,  and 
are  equally  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  it;  that  is,  every 
inhabitant  of  the  globe  has  the  Sun  above  his  horizon  for 
six  months  in  the  year,  and  below  his  horizon  for  the  same 
length  of  time  within  that  period.* 

The  Sun  shines  with  the  same  light  on  all  parts  of  the 
earth.  His  light  is  essentially  the  same  in  nature  and 
properties  in  every  part  of  the  world.  Wherever  it  falls, 
the  sunbeam  carries  in  its  silvery  thread  the  same  lumin- 
ous, and  heating,  and  chemical  powers ;  analyzed,  it  ex- 
hibits the  same  colors,  and  in  the  same  order ;  polarized, 
it  displays  the  same  phenomena ;  falling  upon  polished 
surfaces,  it  is  reflected  at  the  same  angle ;  passing  into 
or  out  of  denser  or  rarer  mediums,  it  is  refracted  in  the 
same  degrees, — whether  this  is  done  in  the  torrid,  the 
temperate  or  the  frigid  zones.  None  of  its  benefits  or 
influences  are  withheld  from  any  region. 

TJte  Sun  shines  for  the  same  ends  or  purposes  upon  all 
parts  of  the  world.  Everywhere  he  bestows  all  the  varied 
benefits  of  his  light  and  heat.  In  pursuing  his  daily 
course  around  the  globe,  he  purifies  its  atmosphere,  stim- 


*This,  tlioiic;h  very  nearly  true,  is  not  accurately  so.  Tlie  sun  is  about  seven  days 
Ioniser  in  f)assing  through  the  northern  tlum  through  the  southern  signs;  that  is, 
from  the  vernal  equinox,  the  21st  of  Marcli,  to  the  autumnal  equinox,  2.'id  of  Sep- 
tember, being  the  summer  half-year  to  the  inhabitants  of  north  latitude,  is  ISfi  days  ; 
the  winter  lialf-year  is  therefore  only  179  days. — See  Keith  on  the  Glufics,  \).  43. 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  HI 

ulates  its  plants  and  animates  its  living  tenants  over  all 
its  broad  circumference.  In  all  regions  he  overspreads 
the  scenery  with  the  charm-s  of  shades  and  colors,  and 
illumines  every  creature  endowed  with  the  power  of  vision 
to  pursue  the  appointed  means  and  ends  of  its  existence. 
In  brief,  upon  every  order  and  every  individual,  among 
both  plants  and  animals,  he  pours  the  full  measure  of 
all  his  influences,  according  to  their  respective  wants  and 
natures. 

Thus  the  solar  orb  is  one  and  the  same  to  the  whole 
world.  If  any  portions  of  the  earth  receive  his  light  and 
heat  in  lesser  degrees  than  others,  this  difference  is  owing, 
not  to  anything  in  the  Sun,  but  to  the  fact  that  those 
portions  avert  their  surfaces  from  him,  and  thus  receive 
his  rays  more  or  less  obliquely.  The  Sun  himself  is  the 
same  to  all. 

The  Sun  is  the  common  and  equal  benefactor  of  all 
that  live  or  grow  upon  the  face  of  the  globe.  What  he 
is  to  one,  he  is  to  all.  While  he  warms  and  stimu bites 
a  particular  plant,  he  never  withholds  the  same  benefits 
from  those  that  grow  around  it;  nor,  while  he  illumines 
the  eyes  of  one  animal,  does  he  ever  leave  those  standing 
by  its  side  enveloped  in  darkness — these,  indeed,  may 
close  their  eyes  and  exclude  his  light. 

This  great  luminary  is  an  impartial  distributor  of  his 
blessings  to  the  whole  world's  population.  None  are 
denied  its  full  benefits — none  are  neglected — none  are 
overlooked.  It  shines  with  equal  brightness  upon  the 
evil  and  the  good,  the  just  and  the  unjust.  Its  beams 
flow  down  alike  unstinted  and  unmodified  upon  the  white 
man  and  the  black,  upon  the  savage  and  the  civilized. 
In  a  word,  all  the  nations  and  kindreds  and  tribes  of  the 
human  family  are  daily  bathed  in  his  luminous  and  cheer- 
ing rays. 


112  the  celestial  symbol. 

Teachings. 

As  the  Sun  thus  arises  and  shines  for  the  good  of  the 
whole  globe,  and  all  that  live  or  grow  thereon, — so  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  to  benefit  and  to  bless  the  whole 
world  of  mankind.  He  came  forth  from  the  Father  to 
be  the  light  and  the  life  of  the  whole  human  Race — 
came,  that  like  the  shining  Orb  of  Day,  He  might  en- 
circle the  whole  earth  with  light  from  heaven  to  guide 
the  weary,  wandering  children  of  men  back  to  their 
Father's  house. 

Like  the  Laws  of  Nature,  the  principles  and  provisions 
of  Grace  through  Jesus  Christ  are  general  in  their  char- 
acter and  universal  in  their  application.  As  with  the 
world  of  matter,  so  with  the  world  of  mind,  one  general 
system  of  administration  is  ever  pursued  by  the  Great 
Ruler  and  Father  of  all.  With  Him  is  no  respect  of 
persons. 

The  Son  of  God  assumed  our  Nature  to  become  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  There  was  nothing  in  his  mission, 
nothing  in  his  character,  nothing  in  his  teaching,  nothing 
in  his  atoning  sufferings,  of  a  local,  or  limited,  or  tem- 
porary nature. 

His  mission  embraced  the  ivorld,  and  was  designed  to 
secure  privileges  and  blessings  in  which  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  should  partake  alike.  His  great  and  gracious 
purpose  was  not  confined  to  Judea,  but  rose  far  above  all 
national,  educational,  or  social  influences.  He  stood  forth 
before  the  world,  not  as  a  Jew,  but  as  a  Man,  a  Brother 
and  a  Representative  of  the  race,  to  fulfil  his  high  and 
spiritual  mission,  which  embraced  not  the  Jews  only,  but 
universal  humanity. 

The  Messages  of  mercy  and  love  which  He  brought 
from  the  Father  were  messages  for  the  ear  of  the  world. 
"  Whoso    hath   ears  to  hear   let  jiim  hear  :   God  so  loved 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  II3 

the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  who- 
soever believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lastino;  life." 

The  Banner  of  love  which  he  lifted  up  was  a  banner 
for  the  eye  of  the  loorld.  "  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved, 
all  the  ends  of  the  earth. — The  Son  of  Man  is  come  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. — Not  willing  that 
any  should  perish." 

The  Sacrifice  which  he  offered  was  in  atonement  for 
the  sins  of  the  world.  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world. — He  is  the  propitia- 
tion for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  for  the  sins 
of  the  whole  world." 

The  Listructions  of  his  gospel  are  instructions  for  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world.  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  the  good  news  to  every  creature."  The  doc- 
trines which  he  taught,  the  duties  which  he  enjoined,  the 
ordinances  which  he  instituted,  have  no  peculiarities  that 
fit  them  only  for  one  place,  one  people,  or  one  age  of  the 
world,  but  are  like  the  light  of  the  Sun,  and  the  air  we 
breathe,  adapted  to  every  period  and  every  people,  whether 
dwellers  of  Asia  in  the  East,  or  of  America  in  the  West ; 
whether  enlightened  by  science  and  polished  by  learning, 
or  wrapped  in  the  gloom  of  barbarism  and  degraded  in 
the  brutal  habits  of  savage  life.  And  as  his  teachings 
are  adapted  to  all,  so  they  are  intended  for  all ;  no  one 
nation  can  claim  a  deeper  interest  than  another  in  the 
love  of  the  Saviour,  or  the  blessings  of  salvation.  He  is 
the  Redeemer  of  the  world. 

Plainly  as  all  this  is  taught,  and  often  as  it  is  repeated 
in  the  Gospel,  human  folly  and  human  bigotry  have  not 
unfrequently  attempted  to  obscure  the  blessed  truth. 
Men  there  have  been,  in  every  age,  who  have  undertaken 
to  examine  the  Divine   Message  by  the  torture  of  their 


X14  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

logic,  and  to  measure  the  Ocean  of  Redeeming  Grace 
with  the  scanty  line  of  their  own  reason.  Some  have 
essayed  to  set  bounds  to  the  merits  of  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Holy  One  of  God,  and  to  make  merchandise  or  a  mon- 
opoly of  his  salvation.  Some  would  number  the  Israel 
of  God,  and  have  the  gift  of  eternal  life  offered  only  to  a 
determinate  few.  Others  would  deny  the  precious  boon 
to  all  save  such  as  find  it  at  their  hands,  or  seek  it  within 
their  narrow  pale.  0  the  blindness  and  selfishness  of 
man !  An  attempt  to  enchain  and  confine  the  light  of 
the  Sun,  or  to  monopolize  the  vital  air  by  which  we  live, 
would  have  been  wise  and  salutary  compared  with  such 
a  perversion  of  the  right  ways  of  the  Most  High,  such  a 
derogation  of  the  free  grace  and  boundless  love  of  Christ. 
He  arose  like  the  Sun  to  illumine  the  whole  world  with 
life-giving  beams,  and  whosoever  will  receive  that  light 
shall  be  made  wise  unto  salvation.  He  came  to  encircle 
the  globe  with  an  atmosphere  of  grace,  as  real  and  uni- 
versal as  the  elemental  air  which  encompasses  sea  and 
land,  and  whoso  chooses  to  inhale  that  atmosjDhere  hath 
eternal  life. 

All  human  beings  have,  or  may  have,  an  equal  interest 
in  Christ;  all  are,  or  may  be,  equally  benefited  and  blessed 
through  his  grace.  He  is  the  Saviour  of  all.  As  the 
Sun  of  nature  revolves  and  shines,  not  for  a  few  select 
trees,  or  chosen  plants,  or  favorite  flowers,  only,  but  for 
the  vegetation  of  the  whole  globe  ; — as  the  tin}'  weed  and 
towering  pine,  the  rush  in  the  marsh  and  the  rose  in  the 
garden,  the  waving  wheat  and  the  rustling  forest,  share 
alike  its  genial  influences ; — as  each  leaf,  each  bud,  each 
peeping  blade,  looks  up  and  claims  that  Sun  as  its  own 
Sun  ; — so  every  human  being,  whether  Jew  or  Gentile, 
whether  black  or  white,  learned  or  ignorant,  whether 
toiling  in  poverty  or  rolling  in  wealth,  whether  sweltering 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  115 

beneath  the  line  or  shivering  at  the  poles,  may  look  up 
to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  say,  Thou  art  my  Sun ! 
my  Saviour ! 


ANALOGY  VIII. 

As  the  Solar  Orb  is  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  light  and  heat  to  the  material 
world, — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  en- 
lightening and  saving  grace  to  the  world  of  mankind. 

Phenomena. 

Connected  with  the  great  Solar  Globe  are  many  phe- 
nomena, many  mysteries,  which  the  science  of  man  has 
labored  in  vain  to  understand  and  explain.  Foremost 
amona;  these  are  to  be  named  the  ceaseless  and  undi- 
minished  floods  of  light  and  heat  which  proceed  from  his 
sphere  in  every  possible  direction.  How  these  are  pro- 
duced, and  by  what  means  they  are  perpetuated,  are 
problems  which  remain  unsolved  to  the  present  day.  But 
of  the  fact  of  their  constancy  and  perpetuity  there  is  no 
room  for  doubt. 

Under  x\nalogy  III.,  we  adduced  various  and  abundant 
evidences  to  prove  that  the  Sun  has  been  shining  upon 
our  globe  from  its  remote  and  dateless  origin; — that  he 
warmed  the  chaotic  deep,  and  drew  up  its  vapors ;  that 
he  balanced  the  clouds  and  poured  out  showers  over  the 
first  emergent  reefs ;  that  he  created  the  storms  that 
swept  over  the  primeval  oceans,  and  the  breezes  that 
fanned  the  earliest  continents ;  that  he  fostered  the  vege- 
tation, and  illumined  the  living  tenants  occupying  both 
sea  and  land,  through  all  the  immeasurable  periods  of 
geology.  And  when  Man,  the  last  created  of  living 
beings,   was    brought  forth,  that  glorious   luminary  was 


116  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

still  shining  in  the  fulness  of  all  its  genial  influences, 
adorning  the  chosen  garden  with  all  that  was  pleasant  to 
the  sight,  and  enriching  it  with  all  that  was  delicious  to 
the  taste.  When,  again,  ihe  prolonged  ages  of  his  degen- 
erate race  had  slowly  passed  away,  and  the  waters  of 
the  Deluge  had  erased  the  remaining  traces  of  their 
violence  and  corruption,  the  Sun,  in  all  his  wonted  vigor, 
poured  down  his  quickening  influences  to  cover  the  earth 
once  more  with  grass  for  the  cattle,  and  with  fruits  for 
the  service  of  men.  Other  centuries  roll  by,  and  Moses 
leads  the  Israelites  out  of  Egj-pt,  to  find  the  Sun',  with 
undiminished  powers,  ripening  the  grape  and  the  fig  and 
the  date  on  the  hill-sides  of  Palestine.  And  when  full 
thirty  generations  more  had  been  carried  away,  and  the 
fulness  of  time  had  ushered  in  the  promised  Messiah,  that 
Sun  was  still  exerting  the  same  energies  and  producing 
the  same  results  on  those  hill-sides,  and  beautifying  the 
plains  with  the  roses  of  Sharon,  and  the  valleys  with  the 
lilies  of  the  field. 

And  to-day,  after  shining  thus  for  thousands  and  mil- 
lions of  years,  pouring  forth  an  ocean  of  light  and  heat  on 
every  side  into  the  depths  of  infinite  space,  that  Sun  is 
as  powerful  to  illumine  and  warm  the  face  of  Nature  as 
when  its  descending  rays  first  fell  on  the  forming  globe — 
as  effectual  to  quicken  and  array  plant  and  tree  and 
flower  as  when  it  looked  down  and  smiled  on  the  fresh 
beauties  of  the  new  creation — as  brilliant  to  lighten  up 
our  skies  and  reveal  the  charms  of  our  scenery  as  it  was 
those  of  Adam  amid  the  bowers  of  paradise.  His  eye  is 
not  dimmevi  with  age,  neither  is  his  natural  strength 
abated.  His  floods  of  light  and  heat  are  none  the  less 
full  for  all  the  centuries  and  millenniums  of  profusion  he 
has  unceasingly  poured  forth.  His  energies,  his  resources 
all,  remain  unexhausted,  undiminished. 


primary  globe.  117 

Teachings. 

In  all  this  the  Sun  of  nature  is  both  a  beautiful  and  a 
faithful  type  of  tlie  Sun  of  Rigliteousness,  in  lohom  is  found 
an  inexhaustible  Fountain  of  enlightening,  reneioing  and 
saving  grace  for  the  world  of  mankind.  Though,  like  the 
Sun  of  nature,  he  has  been  long  shining  and  showering 
down  the  riches  of  his  grace  upon  lost  humanity, — 
though  multitudes  which  no  man  can  number  have  from 
age  to  age  looked  unto  hira  and  been  saved — he  is  still 
as  able  to  save  as  when  the  first  ransomed  soul  entered 
heaven.  His  word  is  as  powerful  to  enlighten,  his  heart 
is  as  tender  to  pity,  his  blood  is  as  efficacious  to  atone, 
his  love  is  as  warm  to  embrace,  and  his  Spirit  is  as  freely 
offered  and  bestowed,  at  this  day,  as  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, when  thousands  with  one  accord  received  the  heav- 
enly gift,  praising  God  with  gladness  and  singleness  of 
heart.  "He  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever." 

As  the  flow^  of  all  the  ages  gone  by  has  produced  no 
perceptible  change  in  the  forces  of  the  solar  orb,  so  no 
lapse  of  time  can  affect  the  efficacy  of  the  sacrifice  made 
by  Christ  on  the  Cross.  That  was  an  offering  for  all 
time,  as  well  as  for  all  nations.  "He  needeth  not  dailv, 
as  the  high  priest,  to  offer  sacrifices  for  sin  ;  this  he  did 
Once,  when  he  offered  up  himself."  "He  was  Once 
offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many."  Nor  can  any  series  or 
succession  of  years,  however  long,  weaken  the  force  of 
his  Truth,  or  in  anywise  make  void  the  promises  of  his 
grace;  these,  like  himself,  change  not.  "Verilj^  I  say 
unto  you,  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  awaj-,  but  my 
word  shall  not  pass  away." 

As  the  illumination  of  the  world  for  one  eye  would 
require  nothing  less  than   the  Sun's  light;  and  its  illu- 


118  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMB9L. 

mination  for  a  million  of  eyes  would  require  nothing 
more: — so  the  atonement  made  by  Christ  would  have 
been  necessary,  in  all  its  fulness  and  merits,  had  there 
been  but  one  sinner  to  be  redeemed ;  and  now  that  there 
are  millions  of  sinners  to  be  saved,  it  requires  no  greater, 
no  richer,  no  other  atonement.  Without  that  sacrifice 
not  a  soul  could  have  been  saved ;  with  it  all  may,  and 
if  they  look  to  him,  assuredly  shall  be  saved.  "He  is 
able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God  by 
him." 

As  the  resources  of  the  Sun  are  in  nowise  affected  by 
the  numbers  of  those  who  partake  of  its  benefits;  that 
is,  if  these  numbers  were  reduced  by  one-half,  or  if  they 
were  increased  to  double,  the  Sun  would  be  neither  richer 
nor  poorer  for  the  change, — so  neither  are  the  merits 
and  grace  of  Christ  affected  by  the  numbers  that  are 
renewed  and  sanctified  and  saved  thereby.  In  him  is  a 
Fountain  that  springs  up  eternal,  and  is  forever  full. 

As  the  fact  that  the  Sun  illumined  all  the  multitudes 
that  looked  upward,  yesterday,  does  not  lessen  his  powers 
to  illumine  equal  multitudes  to-day, — so  the  saving  of 
unnumbered  millions  in  the  ages  past  does  not  leave  the 
blessed  Redeemer  any  the  less  able  to  save  all  the  millions 
now  upon  the  earth;  yea,  if  these  will  but  look  unto  him, 
their  salvation  will  be  sure.  "Look  unto  me,  and  be 
saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

If  a  thousand  eyes  should  be  turned  upward  to  the  Sun 
in  one  and  the  same  instant,  all  would  be  as  fully  and 
perfectly  enlightened  as  if  but  a  single  and  solitary  eye 
looked  at  it, — so,  if  not  one  sinner  only,  but  a  thousand 
sinners,  or  even  all  the  thousand  millions  of  perishing  men 
now  on  tlie  earth,  were  to  look  up  to  Christ,  in  one  and 
the  same  moment,  he  is  infinitely  able  to  hear  them  all, 
to  bless  them  all,  to  save  them  all ;  and — all  having  been 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  119 

saved — the  resources  of  his  grace,  like  those  of  the  radi- 
ant Orb  of  Day,  would  still  remain  as  glorious,  as  effica- 
cious, and  as  inexhaustible  as  ever ! 

As  the  Sun  of  nature,  by  its  gravitation,  by  its  light, 
by  its  heat  and  actinism,  contributes  directly  and  in- 
directly through  innumerable  channels  to  the  welfare  of 
the  world,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  by  the  dispensa- 
tions of  his  providence  and  through  the  gracious  influences 
of  his  Holy  Spirit,  works  for  the  spiritual  good  of  men 
in  a  thousand  different  ways.  Present  always,  present 
everywhere,  He  overrules  and  directs  all  events,  all  agen- 
cies, to  work  together  for  good.  0  the  riches  of  mercy 
and  grace  that  are  treasured  up  in  Christ!  Who  shall 
declare  them? — language  and  figures  and  comparisons 
utterly  fail.  The  universe  affords  but  one  adequate  or 
worthy  symbol — tlie  immeasurable  and  universal  outflow 
of  the  Sanlight.  "If  one  had  art,"  says  an  eloquent 
writer,  "to  gather  up  all  the  golden  sunlight  that  to-day 
falls  wide  over  all  this  continent,  falling  through  every 
silent  hour;  and  all  that  is  dispersed  over  the  whole 
ocean,  flashing  from  every  wave ;  and  all  that  is  poured 
refulgent  over  the  northern  wastes  of  ice,  and  along  the 
whole  continent  of  Europe,  and  the  vast  outlying  Asia, 
and  torrid  Africa;  if  one  could  in  anywise  gather  up  this 
immense  and  incalculable  outflow  and  treasure  of  sun- 
liurht  that  fjills  down  throutjrh  the  briirht  hours,  and  runs 
in  liquid  ether  about  the  mountains,  and  fills  all  the 
plains,  and  sends  innumerable  rays  through  every  secret 
place,  pouring  over  and  filling  every  flower,  shining  down 
the  sides  of  ev^ery  blade  ot  grass,  resting  in  glorious 
humility  upon  the  humblest  things, — on  stick  and  stone 
and  pebble,  on  the  spider's  web,  the  sparrow's  nest,  the 
threshold  of  the  young  foxes'  hole,  where  they  play  and 
warm  themselves;  that  rests  on  the  prisoner's  window, 

8 


120  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

that  strikes  radiant  beams  through  the  slave's  tears,  that 
puts  gold  upon  the  widow's  weeds,  that  plates  and  roofs 
the  city  with  burnished  gold,  and  goes  on  in  its  wild 
abundance  up  and  down  the  earth,  shining  everywhere 
and  always  since  the  day  of  primal  creation,  without 
faltering,  without  stint,  without  waste  or  diminution,  as 
full,  as  fresh,  as  overflowing,  to-day,  as  if  it  were  the  first 
day  of  its  outplay; — if  one  might  gather  up  this  bound- 
less, endless,  infinite  treasure,  to  measure  it,  tlien  might 
he  tell  the  height  and  depth,  and  unending  glory  of  the 
grace  and  mercy  and  love  of  Christ.  In  Light — in  the 
Sun,  its  source — you  have  God's  own  figure  of  the  im- 
mensity and  copiousness  of  his  compassion  and  redeeming 
grace.' 

When,  from  a  chosen  eminence,  I  have  watched  the 
coming  of  the  morning  Sun,  and  presently  seen  him, 
draped  in  purple  and  gold,  rise  above  the  summits  of  the 
eastern  hills,  bathing  the  whole  landscape  in  his  ethereal 
glow,  I  have  been  profoundly  interested  to  think  that  he 
had  thus  daily  illumined  and  warmed  the  whole  face  of 
the  earth,  through  so  many  ages ;  and  melted  the  ice  and 
snows  of  so  many  winters ;  and  quickened  and  renewed 
the  verdure  of  so  many  springs ;  and  arrayed  in  beauty 
and  loveliness  the  flowers  of  so  many  summers;  and 
ripened  the  golden  fruits  of  so  many  harvests — and  yet 
w^as  shining  on  as  brilliantly  as  ever;  his  floods  of  light 
and  heat  none  the  less  full  or  glorious,  for  all  the  ages  of 
profusion  he  had  poured  forth.  Thus,  I  have  said,  shall 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shine  on  gloriouslj'  through  the 
years  and  the  centuries  that  are  yet  to  come — melting  the 
hard  and  icy  hearts  of  men,  quickening  them  into  new- 
ness of  life,  arraying  them  in  the  ornaments  of  grace,  and 
ripening  their  souls,  like  the  fruits  of  autumn,  for  glory, 
honor  and  immortality;  till  the  world,  that  is  now  as  a 


PRIMARY   GLOBS.  121 

wilderness,  shall  flourish  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  and 
blossom  like  the  rose :  yea,  and  when  all  this  shall  have 
come  to  pass,  and  that  Sun  in  the  firmament  shall  have 
been  quenched  in  darkness,  or  been  veiled  in  the  smoke  of 
a  burning  world,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  still  shine 
on  in  his  unclouded  glories,  and  the  riches  of  his  grace 
shall  be  seen  flowing  forth  throughout  eternity  in  the 
abounding  bliss  of  his  saints,  and  in  the  joy  of  a  ran- 
somed Universe. 


ANALOGY    IX. 

As  the  natural  Sun  is  an  unrequited  benefactor  of  the  earth,— so  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  an  unrecompensed  Benefactor  of  the  human  liace. 

Peenomena. 

The  world  in  which  we  live,  though  composed  of  diverse 
materials,  and  these  under  the  governance  of  opposing 
forces,  yet  is  a  system  of  interdependence  and  accommoda- 
tion. Its  sea  and  land  and  air,  its  <]^rowin2r  veiretation 
and  living  tenants,  are  all  closely  related  and  mutually 
dependent.  No  province,  no  element,  no  being  stands 
isolated,  or  independent.  All  minister,  and  all  are  minis- 
tered unto. 

All  the  departments  of  Nature  are  both  debtors  and 
creditors — all  both  give  and  receive.  Of  this  numerous, 
illustrations  may  readily  be  given.  The  ocean,  for  ex- 
ample, sends  upward  its  abounding  vapors  to  form  clouds 
and  showers  to  water  the  dry  land  ;  and  the  dry  land, 
having  been  refreshed,  collects  and  returns  the  same  to  the 
ocean  by  a  thousand  noble  rivers  and  innumerable  minor 
streams.     The  animal  kingdom,  as  before  stated,  manu- 


122  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

factures,  and  with  its  every  breath  gives  out  carbonic  acid 
gas,  for  the  benefit  of  the  vegetable  kingdom ;  and  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  through  its  every  plant  and  leaf  and 
spear,  sets  free  oxygen  gas  for  the  service  of  the  animal 
kingdom.  The  earth,  through  the  day,  imparts  to  the 
atmosphere  its  softening  moisture ;  and  the  atmosphere, 
during  the  night  season,  returns  to  the  earth  the  favor  in 
its  copious  and  refreshing  dews.  The  soil  freely  and 
everywhere  expends  its  richness  to  produce  food  for  the 
animals  that  roam  over  its  surface ;  and  these  animals, 
having  run  through  their  appointed  round  of  existence, 
repay  that  richness  with  the  dust  of  their  own  moulder- 
ing forms.  The  heated  region  of  the  equator  sends,  along 
the  upper  stratum  of  the  atmosphere,  a  perpetual  flow  of 
warm  air  toward  either  pole,  to  mitigate  the  severity  of 
its  climate ;  and  the  poles,  in  return,  send  along  the 
earth's  surface,  similar  floods  of  cold  air  to  moderate  the 
intense  heat  of  the  equator.  The  moon  reflects  her  light 
to  the  earth,  to  cheer  the  tedium  and  the  darkness  of  her 
nights;  and  the  earth  to  her  neighbor  returns  the  kind- 
ness by  a  reflection  tenfold  greater.  Thus  the  various 
provinces  and  diflering  elements  of  our  world  comprise 
one  great  system  of  closely  related  and  mutually  de- 
pendent parts,  all  benefited  and  all  benefiting. 

Turning  to  the  Sun,  however,  we  discover  no  such 
pleasing  interchange  of  favors  carried  on  between  that 
orb  and  the  earth.  Here  the  giving  is  all  on  one  side, 
and  the  receiving  all  on  the  other  side.  The  Sun  sheds 
down  daily  innumerable  benefits  upon  the  earth — wheels 
her  in  her  orbit,  brings  about  her  round  of  seasons,  lights 
up  her  scenery,  warms  her  soil,  purifies  her  atmosphere, 
stimulates  and  fosters  her  vegetation,  forms  her  clouds 
and  showers,  animates  her  living  occupants,  perpetuates 
the  flow  of  her  streams  and  fountains,  creates  her  winds 


PRIMARY  GLOBE.  123 

and  distils  her  dews ;  and,  by  means  of  all  these,  works 
ten  thousand  other  benefits  for  man  and  beast  through 
every  hour  of  the  day,  and  every  day  of  the  year.  But 
we  know  of  no  return  that  the  earth  makes  to  the  Sun 
for  his  favors.  She  sends  back  to  him  no  ray  of  light,' no 
breath  of  heat,  no  shower  of  rain,  no  drop  of  dew,  no 
pulsation  or  throb  of  any  influence  whatever,  save  the 
faint  one  of  her  inherent  gravitation.  She  is  a  recipient, 
and  a  recipient  only.  He  gives,  and  ever  gives,  but 
nothing  in  return  receives. 

Teachings. 

As  the  material  Sun  is  thus  the  unrequited  benefactor 
of  the  earth,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  the  unrequited 
Benefactor  of  the  human  race.  All  that  he  has  ever  done 
for  man  has  been  done  without  recompense  or  reward ; 
and  all  that  he  has  bestowed  upon  him  has  been  be- 
stowed as  a  free  gift. 

Human  salvation,  from  first  to  last,  is  a  work  of  Grace. 
What  else  could  it  have  been  ?  What  first  awakened 
the  thought,  or  "  formed  the  plan  to  save  rebellious 
man  ? "  What  moved  the  High  and  Lofty  One  to  for- 
sake the  bosom  of  the  Father,  to  quit  the  region  of  eternal 
day,  and  to  visit  this  nether  world  in  such  great  humil- 
ity ?  What  prompted  him  to  take  upon  him  our  lowly 
nature,  and  to  work  out  our  salvation  at  a  cost  of  humilia- 
tion and  suffering  so  deep  and  so  dreadful  ?  What  but 
grace — but  mercy  and  benevolence,  pure,  free,  unbounded 
as  the  light  of  the  Sun.  To  what  else  that  is  conceiv- 
able can  we  ascribe  his  wondrous  career  from  the  manger 
to  Gethsemane — from  Gethsemane  to  the  Judgment  Hall 
— from  the  Judgment  Hall  to  the  Cross !  The  humble 
creatures  whom  he  came  to  redeem  did  not  deserve  that 
he  should  have  thus  become  poor,  a  man  of  sorrows,  a 


124  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMB>.L. 

subject  of  ignominy,  suffering  and  death,  in  order  to  save 
them ;  they  had  no  rights  that  they  could  urge,  no  claims 
that  they  could  plead ; — yea,  they  were  sinners,  enemies, 
righteously  condemned :  their  desert  was  punishment — 
"  Everlasting  destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord." 
Nor  did  he  come  thus  to  rescue  our  wretched  race  in  tire 
expectation  of  a  reward ;  for  well  he  knew  that  they 
had  nothing  to  give  but  what  was  already  his  own.  Nor 
did  he  come  at  the  urgency  of  their  request,  overcome  with 
their  pleadings  and  tears ;  for  they  did  not  desire  that 
he  should  do  this  for  them  : — fallen  and  benighted,  they 
were  too  ignorant  and  stupid  to  know  their  own  true 
interest  or  happiness ;  too  depraved  to  have  any  taste  or 
relish  for  it.  Nor  did  he  come  because  he  needed  their 
service  or  their  worship;  for  at  much  lesser  cost,  even 
with  a  word,  he  could  have  created  a  thousand  glorious 
worlds,  all  teeming  with  holy  and  happy  inhabitants, 
ever  ready  and  delighted  to  obey  the  slightest  intimation 
of  his  will.  Neither  did  he  come  because  their  preserva- 
tion was  indispensable  to  his  hajpiness  or  (jlory ;  for  had 
they  and  had  the  world  in  which  they  dwelt  sunk  into 
everlasting  nothingness  and  oblivion,  it  would  not  have 
taken  one  ray  from  the  effulgence  of  his  glory,  nor  one 
drop  from  the  ocean  of  his  felicity.  No,  no. — To  notliing, 
reader,  to  nothing  that  is  conceivable  can  we  ascribe  the 
advent  of  the  Son  of  God  to  our  world,  but  to  the  dis- 
interested benevolence  and  infinite  benignity  of  his  own 
heart. 

The  same  spirit  of  surpassing  benevolence  characterized 
his  whole  life  on  earth.  His  time  and  strength  were 
spent  in  "  going  about  doing  good," — feeding  the  hungry, 
healing  the  sick,  giving  sight  to  the  blind,  and  hearing 
to  the  deaf,  and  speech  to  the  dumb,  comforting  the  sor- 
rowful, raising  the  dead ; — many  were  the  distresses  that 


PRIMARY   GLOBE.  125 

he  relieved,  many  the  tears  that  he  wiped  away,  many 
the  sad  hearts  that  he  made  glad ; — but  his  miracles  of 
healins;  and  kindnesses  all  were  done  without  recom- 
pense  or  reward :  done  from  the  pure  impulses  of  love 
and  pity.  His  divine  instructions,  likewise,  were  equally 
gratuitous.  Though  the  knowledge  he  imparted  was  be- 
yond the  price  of  rubies ;  though,  at  times,  he  had  not 
where  to  lay  his  head  ;  though,  weary  and  wayworn,  he 
had  to  solicit  a  cup  of  cold  water  from  the  hand  of  a 
stranger,  yet  he  labored  without  money  and  without 
price ;  the  only  reward  he  desired  was  the  tear  of 
penitence,  and  the  cordial  reception  of  his  message  of 
love  from  the  Father. 

He  stands  in  the  same  attitude  still  toward  sinful 
men.  He  is  content  to  remain  their  unrequited  Bene- 
factor. In  all  the  dispensations  of  his  providence  and 
of  his  Holy  Spirit  toward  us,  he  seeks  our  own  welfare 
only ;  he  is  nothing  profited.  As  the  Sun  of  nature,  in 
shedding  down  his  light  and  heat  to  foster  plant  and 
flower  and  tree,  receives  no  benefit  in  return,  but  simply 
nourishes  and  strengthens  and  expands  them  to  receive 
larger  measures  still  of  all  his  benign  influences,  so  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  in  bestowing  upon  us  the  healing 
of  his  wings,  the  riches  of  his  grace,  advantageth  nothing; 
he  simply  promotes  our  spiritual  growth  and  welfare. 
He  is  not,  and  cannot,  in  anywise,  be  a  gainer  by  us. 
"  Our  goodness  extendeth  not  to  him."  Our  obedience 
and  service  add  nothing  to  his  possessions.  Our  prayers 
and  praises  contribute  nothing  to  the  essential  glory  of 
his  nature.  Our  profoundest  homage,  or  our  loftiest 
adoration,  impart  nothing  to  his  inherent  and  eternal 
happiness.  In  all  our  intercourse  and  communion  with 
him,  the  advantage  is  all  our  own  ;  on  his  part  all  is  grace. 
He   is  ever   the    Benefactor,  we  ever  the  beneficiaries. 


126  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

Whatever  comes  to  us  from  him  comes  as  a  free  gift  from 
the  abounding  benevolence  of  his  loving  heart.  As  the 
Sun  for  the  vegetation  of  the  earth,  so  He  sends  down 
his  healing,  saving  beams  to  quicken  and  nourish  our  souls, 
to  promote  our  growth  in  holiness  and  happiness,  to  en- 
large our  spiritual  capacities,  that  we  may  be  qualified 
to  receive  still  more  and  more  out  of  his  fulness.  He 
seeks  and  saves  and  sanctifies  sinful  men,  not  to  derive 
from  them  either  profit  or  gain  or  advantage,  but  to  make 
them  larger  partakers  of  his  own  felicity  and  glory — 
to  make  them  more  like  himself,  and  to  fit  them  to  dwell 
with  him  forever. 


(see  Page  218) 


PART  SECOND. 


THE  SUN  AS  THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT, 


ANALOGY   I. 

As  the  Siin  is  a  self-luminous  globe,  and  sends  forth  from  its  own  body  and 
sphere  a  flood  of  light  on  every  side, — so  Christ,  the  Sun  of  liighteous- 
ness,  was  a  self-luminous  Oi'b,  and  poured  the  light  of  truth  and  wisdom 
upon  all  around  him  from  the  fountain  of  his  own  mind. 


sisp 


Phenomena. 


'HILE  all  the  globes  composing  the  great 
system  of  creation,  to  which  our  world 
belongs,  shine  more  or  less  brightly  in 
the  heavens,  yet  all,  save  one,  shine  by 
borrowed  or  reflected  light.  The  Sun 
alone  is  self-luminous ;  the  rest,  planets 
as  well  as  satellites,  are  in  themselves 
dark  bodies,  and  become  visible  only  by 
reflecting  the  light  which  falls  upon  them  from  the  Sun. 
The  statement  may  appear  surprising,  perhaps  in- 
credible to  some,  that  the  moon  which  shines  with  such 
silvery  brightness,  and  illuminates  so  beautifully  our 
whole  firmament  at  night,  has  no  more  light  in  herself 
than  the  dull  earth  upon  which  we  tread.  Yet  this  is  the 
ilict,  as  may  be  easily  proved  in  various  ways.  The 
moon  illumines  simply  as  a  re/lector;  it  does  nothing 
more  in  this  wa}-,  than  the  pure  white  cloud  which  stands 

(127) 


128  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

off  on  the  bosom  of  the  blue  sky.  By  day,  the  moon 
can  hardly  be  distinguished  in  brightness  from  such  a 
cloud ;  and  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  clouds  catching 
the  last  rays  of  the  Sun  appear  with  a  dazzling  splendor 
not  inferior  to  the  brightness  of  the  moon  at  night. 

When  the  moon,  as  at  a  solar  eclipse,  happens  to  come 
exactly  between  the  earth  and  the  Sun,  and  no  ray  of  the 
Sun's  light  falls  on  the  hither  side  of  her  globe,  she  is  * 
dark,  and  appears  as  a  black  spot  on  his  disc,  which,  of 
course,  would  not  be  the  case  if  she  was  herself  a  lumi- 
nous sphere. 

Again,  when  in  the  opposite  point  of  her  orbit,  as  at  a 
lunar  eclipse,  the  earth  is  exactly  between  the  moon  and 
the  Sun,  and  she  passes  through  the  shadow  of  the  earth, 
she  then  becomes  all  but  invisible,  and  remains  so  till  she 
emerges  out  of  the  shadow  into  the  sunshine,  when  she 
again  appears  bright  as  before.  Thus  all  the  phenomena 
presented  both  in  solar  and  lunar  eclipses  combine  to  de- 
monstrate that  the  light  of  the  moon  is  not  inherent ;  in 
other  words,  that  she  is  not  self-luminous. 

The  regular  monthly  changes  of  the  moon,  from  the 
full  to  the  crescent,  and  from  the  crescent  to  the  full,  offer 
a  similar  conclusive  proof  that  she  shines  only  by  re- 
flected light.  Being  a  globe,  the  Sun  always  illumines 
one-half  of  her  surface;  but  that  enlightened  side  is  so 
situated,  at  different  points  in  her  orbit,  that  we  see  only 
a  lesser  or  greater  part  of  it ;  and  hence  her  varying 
aspects  as  a  new-moon,  a  half-moon,  and  a  full-moon. 

What  is  thus  true  of  the  moon  is  equally  true  of  the 
planets ;  these  likewise  shine  only  by  a  reflection  of  the 
Sun's  light.  Venus,  the  brightest  of  them  all,  is  a  dark 
globe;  and  when  viewed  through  a  telescope,  it  appears, 
in  the  course  of  its  revolution  round  the  Sun,  to  pass 
through  all  the  phases  of  the  moon,  sometimes  appearing 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  129 

as  a  half-moon,  sometimes  as  a  crescent,  and  at  other 
times  with  a  gibbous  phase.  When  it  appears  of  a  half- 
moon  or  crescent  phase,  its  enlightened  side,  like  that  of 
the  moon,  is  always  towards  the  Sun,  which  proves  that 
it  is  in  itself  a  dark  body,  and  derives  all  its  light  from 
that  luminary.  Proof  of  this  fact  is  also  obtained  dur- 
ing its  transits.  At  certain  distant  and  unequal  intervals, 
Venus,  like  the  moon,  passes  exactly  between  us  and  the 
Sun ;  and  as  it  moves  across  his  disc,  it  appears  like  a 
small  dark  spot  on  his  bosom,  its  enlightened  side  being 
turned  towards  the  Sun,  and  its  dark  hemisphere  pre- 
sented towards  the  earth.  It  is  equally  certain  that  all 
the  other  planets  and  satellites  of  the  system  are  in  them- 
selves dark  or  non-luminous  bodies. 

Unlike  the  moon  and  the  planets,  which  thus  shine  by 
reflection,  the  Sun  has  light  in  himself;  he  is  a  self- 
luminous  globe,  and  sends  forth  from  its  own  body  and 
sphere  a  continuous  flood  of  light  on  every  side.  His 
brightness  is  not  at  any  period  or  in  any  degree  depen- 
dent upon  the  liglit  of  another  luminary;  all  the  orbs 
that  shine  in  the  firmament  add  nothing  to  his  brilliancy, 
and  were  they  all  extinguished  they  would  take  nothing 
from  it.  In  all  his  apparent  positions  in  the  heavens  the 
Sun  shines  full-orbed  and  with  unvarying  splendor.  He 
is  the  one  great  fountain  of  light  for  the  whole  system. 
He  gives  light  to  all,  but  borrows  from  none. 

Teachings. 

In  all  this  we  have  a  pleasing  and  instructive  type  of 
the  Great  Teacher.  As  the  material  Sun  is  thus  a  lumi- 
nous globe,  and  sheds  forth  of  his  own  inherent  liulit  on 
all  around  ;  so  the  Sun  of  Rlgliteoiisness  was  (t  self-lumi- 
noas  Orb,  and  poured  the  Hyht  of  truth  and  ictxdom  upon 
men  from  the  Fountain  of  his  own  Mind.    The  light  which 


130  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

he  possessed  and  imparted  was  not  like  that  of  the  moon 
and  planets,  borrowed  or  reflected,  but  inherent.  Like 
the  Sun,  he  had  light  in  himself;  and  like  the  Sun,  he 
was  independent  of  all  other  lights. 

Jesus  Christ  was  an  origiyial  Teacher.  He  was  not  a 
copyist  or  an  imitator :  "never  man  spake  like  this  man." 
The  instructions  which  he  delivered  to  tlie  multitudes 
were  not  lessons,  which  human  wisdom  or  learning  had 
enunciated  before  ;  but  truths  born  of  his  own  divine  and 
holy  mind.  The  spiritual  doctrines  which  he  proclaimed, 
and  the  practical  precepts  which  he  enjoined,  were 
neither  borrowed  from  the  ethics  of  Grecian  philosophers, 
nor  derived  from  the  traditions  of  Jewish  rabbles.  To 
the  former  he  was  a  stranger,  and  to  the  latter  he  was 
averse.  He  had  listened  to  the  discourses  of  no  lyceum, 
had  sat  at  the  feet  of  no  doctor  of  the  law,  had  pon- 
dered over  the  volumes  of  no  library.  All  his  days  had 
been  spent  in  humble  toil  in  the  rude  and  retired  village 
of  Nazareth.  He  had  been  favored  with  none  of  the  liter- 
ary advantages  of  his  time,  such  as  they  were.  With 
the  learned  or  the  rich — with  the  ecclesiastical  or  civil 
authorities — with  the  influential  classes  of  society,  or 
even  with  single  individuals  of  name  and  weight — he 
never  had  the  most  distant  association.  And  that  such 
wisdom  as  he  manifested,  such  divine  lessons  as  he  de- 
livered, should  flow  from  the  lips  of  an  individual  that 
had  grown  up  amid  such  circumstances  as  his  had  been, 
was  what  astonished  both  the  people  and  their  rulers  be- 
yond measure.  "  Is  not  this  the  carpenter,  the  son  of 
Mary!"  exclaimed  they:  "  How  knoweth  this  man  letters, 
having  never  learned  ?"  No,  he  had  not  learned  from 
such  authorities  as  they  referred  to ;  he  had  never  been 
enrolled  among  the  scholars  of  Hillel,  or  Shammai,  or 
Philo,  or  any  other  rabbi  of  his  day.     To  these  he  owed 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  131 

nothing.  His  knowledge  and  wisdoni  flowed  from  a  far 
higher  and  purer  source — Ids  oion  sinless  and  luminous 
Mind,  endowed  witli  the  powers  of  immediate  insight 
into  his  Father's  will,  and  imbued  with  supreme  delight 
therein.  Yes,  the  Fountain  from  which  flowed  that  divine 
sermon  delivered  on  the  Mount,  those  inimitable  parables 
spoken  by  the  Sea,  and  all  the  sweet  and  precious  truths 
recorded  in  the  .Gospels,  was  his  own  pure,  holy  and 
divine  Mind. 

Whilst  the  teaching  of  Jesus  was  thus  original,  both 
as  to  its  matter  and  method,  yet  he  disdained  not  the 
use  of  old  and  familiar  truths  whenever  they  subserved 
his  gracious  purposes;  but  even  these,  in  passing  through 
liis  hands,  underwent  such  a  transformation  that  they 
became  as  new  truths — the}'  were  so  recast  from  their 
worn-out  forms  that  they  cam(^  forth  from  his  lips  with 
all  their  original  freshness  and  force.  "  Truths  which 
the  lapse  of  time  had  displaced  and  disconnected  from 
their  true  positions,  as  stars  are  said  to  have  wandered 
from  their  primal  signs,  he  recalled  and  established  anew; 
and  principles  which  had  faded,  disappeared,  and  been 
lost,  as  stars  are  said  to  have  become  extinct,  he  rekindled 
and  resphered,  and  commanded  them  to  stand  fjxst  forever." 

As  the  Sun  stands  alone,  unrivalled  in  splendor  by 
any  orb  of  heaven,  so  Christ  stood  alone  as  a  Teacher, 
unequalled  and  unapproaclied,  in  the  wisdom,  purity  and 
benevolence  of  his  doctrines.  The  sublime  character  of 
his  instructions  proved  him  to  have  been  a  Teacher  sent 
forth  from  God.  The  revelations  which  he  made  were 
too  profound,  the  truths  which  he  proclaimed  were  too 
lofty,  the  motives  which  he  proposed  were  too  unselfish, 
and  the  spirit  which  he  inculcated  was  too  pure,  to  pro- 
ceed from  any  human  source.  Such  instructions  as  his 
ministrv  furnished  had  not  been  heard  on  the  earth  be- 


132  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

fore;  and  such  an  illustrious  example,  as  his  spotless  life 
presented,  had  never  been  witnessed  among  men.  His 
conduct  and  converse,  his  temper  and  spirit,  were  ever 
in  perfect  harmony  with  the  purity  and  excellency  of  his 
precepts.  In  deeds  as  in  words,  he  exhibited  the  most 
finished  pattern  of  universal  holiness — of  love  to  God,  of 
zeal  for  his  glory,  of  charity  and  benevolence,  of  self- 
denial,  of  meekness  and  patience,  of  humility  and  conde- 
scension and  love.  Never  was  there  so  perfect  a  code 
of  religion  and  morals  propounded,  never  so  "wise  and 
amiable  and  godlike  a  Teacher  seen  among  men !  He 
was,  indeed,  a  self-luminous  orb,  risen  upon  the  darkness 
of  the  world,  shedding  new  light  upon  every  scene  and 
relation  of  life,  unfolding  new  promises  and  privileges  in 
connection  with  every  duty,  and  revealing  new  and  cheer- 
ing prospects  to  every  weary  pilgrim  in  his  passage  through 
the  world. 

Few  appear  to  know,  and  fewer  still  to  realize,  what 
a  rich  accession  w^is  made  to  the  stock  of  truth  in  men's 
possession  by  the  teaching  of  Jesus — or,  how  vastly  he 
enlarged  the  circle  of  their  moral  conceptions — or,  how 
far  in  advance  of  all  previous  attainments  he  conducted 
them  in  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  his  religion.  He 
found  them  groping  as  beneath  the  faint  and  reflected 
light  of  the  moon  and  planets,  but  left  them  walking  as 
in  the  direct  and  clear  light  of  tlie  Sun.  How  great  the 
world's  debt  to  the  ministry  of  Jesus  for  the  light  it  now 
enjoys ! 

To  this  Great  Teacher,  and  to  him  alone,  we  owe  our 
knowledge  of  the  Paternal  cliavacter  of  God.  Of  this,  as 
we  have  seen  in  a  preceding  chapter,  mankind  had  be- 
come deplorably  ignorant.  They  knew  God,  so  far  as 
they  knew  him  at  all,  as  a  Being  to  be  feared  rather 
than  to  be  loved — as  a  King,  supreme  in  authority,  and 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  133 

irresistible  in  power,  and  arbitrary  in  his  conduct ;  or,  as 
a  Judge,  inflexible  in  his  justice  and  relentless  in  his 
retributions;  or,  at  best,  as  a  Being  in  a  state  of  apathy 
towards  the  world  of  mortals,  viewing  with  alike  indif- 
ference their  welfare  and  their  woes.  But  Jesus  Christ, 
who  came  forth  from  God,  and  knew  God,  reveals  him  in 
a  character  supremely  amiable  and  adorable — reveals 
him  as  a  Parent  of  surpassing  love  and  tenderness,  yearn- 
ing over  his  erring  offspring  on  earth,  and  longing  to  re- 
claim them  all,  and  to  fill  them  all  with  his  own  blessed- 
ness. He  brings  to  us  the  assurance  that,  such  was  the 
deep  compassion  and  love  of  God  for  the  fallen  and  lost 
children  of  men  that,  he  resolved  upon  a  sacrifice  of 
value  and  dignity  and  dearness  surpassing  all  computa- 
tion in  order  to  redeem  them  from  their  guilt  and  misery; 
— "  God,"  he  tells  us,  "  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  Yea,  he 
goes  beyond  all  this,  and  makes  the  astonishing  declara- 
tion that,  such  was  the  Divine  sympathy  for  ruined  men, 
that  the  Father  loved  even  Him  the  more  for  his  dying 
to  redeem  them ; — "  Therefore  doth  my  Father  love  me, 
because  I  lay  down  my  life  for  them."  And  having  given 
this  new  and  amazing  view  of  the  character  of  the  Great 
Supreme,  he  taught  us  to  address  him  by  a  new  name — a 
name  which  should  be  at  once  a  sign  of  our  affection  for 
him,  and  a  pledge  of  his  tender  regard  and  relationship 
to  us — the  name  which  is  intertwined  with  the  dearest 
associations  of  the  human  heart — Father.  "  When  ye 
pray  say,  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven.  Ask,  and 
ye  shall  receive.  If  ye,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give 
good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your 
heavenly  Father  give  his  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him?" — Here  was  a  revelation,  indeed,  as  new  as  it  was 


134  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

cheering — a  revelation  which  could  have  come  to  us  only 
from  the  inner  consciousness  of  him  who  had  been  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father  from  all  eternity.  The  light  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  alone  could  have  thus  revealed  the 
heart  of  God — that  he  is  a  Father,  a  true  Father,  a  per- 
fect Father — that  Paternal  love  is  the  element  in  which 
he  lives  and  reigns — that  Paternal  love  is  the  moving 
and  governing  force  in  the  spiritual  universe,  working 
out  the  largest  possible  measure  of  happiness  for  the 
whole  intelligent  creation. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  we  owe  all  our 
correct  and  certain  knowledge  of  the  human  Soul — of  its 
reality,  its  greatness,  its  immortality  and  transcendent 
value.  The  doctrine  of  an  indwelling  sjnrit  and  of  its 
future  state  of  existence,  previous  to  the  Saviour's  ad- 
vent, was  involved  in  great  obscurity.  To  the  mass  of 
mankind,  the  Soul  in  its  real  nature,  its  noble  attributes 
and  eternal  destiny,  was  practically  unknown.  The 
opinions  of  Socrates  and  Plato,  of  Cicero  and  Seneca, 
though  often  quoted,  were  at  best  but  the  conflicting  con- 
jectures of  minds  alternating  between  hope  and  fear. 
By  their  own  acknowledgment  they  were  often  in  dis- 
tressing   doubts  on    the   subject.*     Heathen    philosophy 

*  We  find  Socrates,  tlie  most  hopeful  of  all  the  heathen  sages,  often  emjiloying 
such  amhiguous  language  as  the  following :  "//"death  he  a  removal  hence  to  another 
place,  and  if  what  is  said  of  the  dead  be  tr>ie  " — "Those  who  live  in  Hades  are 
thenceforth  immortal,  if  at  least  what  is  said  be  true"^ — "  I  go  to  die,  you  to  live  ; 
but  which  of  us  is  destined  to  an  improved  being  is  concealed  from  every  one  excejit 
God" — "I  /lope  I  am  going  to  good  men,  though  this  I  would  not  take  upon  me 
peremptorily  to  assert." 

So  Cicero,  speaking  of  the  two  ideas,  immortality  and  non-existence,  could  only 
say:  "Which  of  these  is  true  God  only  knows;  and  which  is  most  probable  a  very 
great  question.  When  I  read  the  writings  of  Socrates  and  Plato,  I  assent  to  immor- 
tality; but  when  I  have  laid  down  the  book,  all  that  assent  vanishes.'' 

Nor  was  Seneca  i)ossessed  of  any  stronger  faith.  "  Immortality,"  said  he,  "how- 
ever desirable,  is  rather  ]>romised  than  proved  by  those  great  men  (Socrates  and 
Plato)."  Such  was  the  lamentable  hesitation  and  doubt  of  the  wisest  of  men  who 
had  only  the  light  of  reason  to  guide  them. 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  135 

having  descended  to  the  entrance  of  the  tomb,  came  to 
a  stand;  the  force  of  all  its  reasonings  could  no  further 
go.  And  even  the  revelation  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  did  little  more  than  darkly  hint  at  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Soul  and  its  future  existence ;  the  light  it 
held  forth  in  the  chamber  of  death  did  but  flicker  to  the 
wisest  and  the  best,  while  to  the  multitude,  amid  the 
deadly  vapors  of  the  sepulchre,  it  went  out  altogether. 
But  Jesus  Christ  brouoht  full  and  clear  assurance  of  the 

o 

reality  and  undying  character  of  the  Soul.  It  w^as  in 
no  doubtful  terms  or  hesitating  tones  that  he  spake  of  it. 
He  emphatically  declared  it  to  be  in  its  nature  distinct 
from  the  body,  and  capable  of  existing  apart  from  it,  and 
that  it  would  so  exist.  "  Fear  not  them,"  he  said,  "  who 
kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul ;  "  or,  in 
other  words,  Persecutors  may  injure  and  destroy  your 
bodies,  but  be  not  afraid  of  them,  your  souls  they  cannot 
harm,  cannot  reach  by  any  of  their  instruments  of  cruelty ; 
these  will  pass  on  secure  to  bliss  and  immortality.  "Ab- 
sent from  the  body,  present  with  the  Lord."  The  min- 
istry of  Christ  from  first  to  last  was  a  proclamation  of 
the  soul  and  its  undying  interests.  To  him  the  soul  was 
the  man — the  seat  of  all  his  distinctions,  all  his  worth, 
all  his  dignity.  And  it  was  upon  this  view  of  the  soul 
he  based  that  notable  and  solemn  appeal :  "  What  shall 
it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  .world  and  lose  his 
own  soul?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
soul  ?  "  For  the  soul  he  labored — for  the  soul  he  prayed 
— for  the  soul  at  last  he  laid  down  his  life.  The  soul  was 
ever  his  great  concern.  When  he  journej'ed  and  -when 
he  rested,  when  he  stood  in  the  busy  market-place,  or 
reclined  by  the  festive  board — on  all  occasions — he  spoke 
to  men  of  the  forgotten,  neglected  soul.  It  is  real !  was 
his  cry;  it  is  great!  it  is  precious!  The  body  shall  die, 
9 


136  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

but  the  soul  shall  live.  The  earth  and  the  heavens  shall 
pass  away,  but  the  soul  shall  endure  forever,  in  sin  and 
misery,  or  in  holiness  and  bliss.  And  to  impress  all  this 
the  more  deeply  on  men's  minds,  he  even  lifted  the  veil 
which  divides  from  earth  the  spirit  world,  and  exhibited 
departed  souls  still  in  conscious  existence — the  rich  man 
in  torments  and  despair  beyond  the  great  gulf,  and 
Lazarus  tranquilly  reposing  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father 
of  the  faithful.  Such  was  the  rieio  and  dear  light  shed 
by  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  on  this  most  important  sub- 
ject— a  subject  which  had  ever  been  involved  in  painful 
obscurity. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  we  are  indebted 
for  tlie  true  meaning  and  spirit  of  the  Moral  Lan\  AVhen 
he  appeared  in  the  world,  this  Law  was  virtually  lost  to 
the  Ilace ;  the  Heathen  knew  nothing  even  of  its  letter, 
and  the  Jew  was  equally  ignorant  of  its  spirit.  Hu- 
man laws,  for  reasons  that  are  obvious,  can  take  cog- 
nizance only  of  the  outward  acts  of  men  ;  and  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  had  come  to  regard,  and  to  interpret  to 
the  people,  the  Law  of  God  in  much  the  same  light,  lim- 
iting its  jurisdiction  to  the  external  conduct;  nor  did 
they  stop  here,  but  in  numerous  cases  set  it  aside  al- 
together by  their  trivial  and  unmeaning  "traditions,"  or 
purchased  for  themselves  a  dispensation  to  transgress  it, 
at  the  easy  price  of  a  little  additional  punctiliousness  in 
their  ritual  worship.  Thus  the  Divine  Law  was  lost  sight 
of,  being  buried  beneath  the  corruptions  and  traditions 
of  men.  But  Jesus  Christ,  brushing  away  this  accumu- 
lation of  worse  than  dust  and  cobwebs  which  obscured 
and  made  of  none  effect  the  commandments  of  God,  re- 
stored them  to  their  original  purity,  and  expounded 
them  in  their  true  spirit.  The  Law,  he  taught,  "  is  ex- 
ceeding  broad ;"  it  is  spiritual,  and    speaks  to  the  soul; 


FOUNTAIN    OF   LIGHT.  137 

it  is  designed  to  govern  the  soul  as  well  as  the  body — 
the  inward  thoughts  and  motives,  passions  and  emotions, 
as  well  as  the  outward  words  and  actions.  He  showed 
that  the  Law  recognized  and  laid  its  hand  upon  evil,  in 
its  germ,  in  its  earliest  rudiments  of  thought  and  feeling 
— that  it  condemned  causeless  anger,  though  unexpressed 
and  unbreathed,  as  partaking  of  the  spirit  of  murder,  and 
the  wanton  glance  as  the  commission  of  adultery  already 
in  the  heart.  He  declared  the  Law  of  the  Lord  to  be 
perfect ; — that  it  not  only  prohibits  the  act  and  essence 
of  Jill  evil,  but  also  requires  the  spirit  of  all  good — love; 
that  wherever  love,  love  supreme  to  God  and  love  sincere 
to  man,  is  wanting,  the  demands  of  the  Law  remain  un- 
satisfied ;  for  "  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  Law."  Such 
was  the  new  light  shed  by  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  upon 
the  meaning  and  spirit  of  the  Moral  Law. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  we  are  indebted  for 
our  instruction  in  tlie  true  and  acceptahle  icorsh'ip  of  God. 
What  gross  ideas  and  corrupt  practices  the  heatiien  na- 
tions followed  in  their  worship,  we  have  before  shown ; 
and  that  the  religion  and  worship  of  the  Jews,  as  to  their 
spirit,  had  come  to  stand  but  little  higher,  we  have  also 
proved.'^''  People,  that  could  put  such  a  carnal  construc- 
tion on  the  law  of  God  as  we  have  just  seen,  would 
naturally  be  content  with  equally  carnal  worship.  The 
sacrifices  and  ceremonies  prescribed  by  Moses  were,  indeed, 
still  observed  in  the  temple ;  but  with  these  they  had 
gradually  incorporated  so  large  an  admixture  of  what  was 
false  and  superstitious  and  absurd,  that  they  had  lost 
their  force  and  significance.  The  observance  of  rites  and 
irrational  traditions  had  come  to  be  re2;arded  as  the  sum 
and  substance  of  religion  and  worship.  '^It  seemed  to  be 
imagined  that  the  service  of  God  required  no  intellect, 

*  See  under  Analogy  V.,  Part  I. 


138  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

no  conscience,  no  heart,  no  spiritual  nature;  but  only 
eyes,  hands,  lips,  features  of  the  countenance,  movements 
of  the  body."  So  carnal,  so  darkened  had  even  the 
chosen  people  become,  when  the  Teacher  sent  from  God 
appeared  among  them.  The  evil  of  their  case  was  des- 
perate, and  called  for  prompt  and  decisive  steps  for  its 
remedy.  Accordingly,  placing  himself  between  the  Mercy- 
seat  and  the  crowd  of  heartless  worshippers  that  beset  it, 
Jesus  showed  them  the  idleness  of  their  formal  ceremo- 
nies, bade  them  cease  their  endless  repetitions,  and  boldly 
lifting  the  veil  which  concealed  their  hearts,  said,  "  Ye 
hypocrites !  well  did  Isaiah  prophecy  of  you,  saying.  This 
people  draweth  nigh  unto  me  with  their  mouth,  and 
honoreth  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  heart  is  far  from 
me.  But  in  vain  do  they  worship  me,  teaching  for 
doctrine  the  commandments  of  men."  To  expose  the 
iblly  and  futility  of  such  carnal  devotions,  he  made  the 
awakening  announcement,  "God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that 
worship  him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth ;" 
which  was  to  say,  The  only  devotion  compatible  with  the 
nature  of  the  Spirit  God  is  that  which  flows  from  the  spirit 
or  soul  of  the  worshipper :  when  ye  come  before  him,  he 
requires  that  the  soul,  the  noblest  part  of  your  nature, 
should  do  him  homage;  that  your  thoughts  should  be 
occupied  with  him,  that  your  affections  should  embrace 
him,  and  that  your  whole  spiritual  nature  should  go  forth 
and  seek  communion  with  him.  Plainly  and  solemnly 
did  he  declare  unto  them,  that  the  worshipper,  going 
through  the  attitudes  and  signs  of  devotion,  uttering  the 
affecting  language  of  confession  or  supplication  or  praise, 
while  his  heart  within  was  devoid  of  corresponding  emo- 
tions, loould  he  sent  empty  away;  while  the  truly  sincere, 
though  he  only  cry,  '^'  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner," 
would  return  to  Ids  house  justijled^  blessed,  happy.     Thus 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.     '  139 

did  Jesus  teach  men  that  the  most  costly  gifts  and  the 
most  pompous  ceremonials  may  prove  but  a  vain  sacri- 
fice; while  a  look,  a  sigh,  a  tear,  may  carry  in  it  true  and 
accepted  worship. — This,  again,  was  new  light ;  never 
before  had  this  important  subject  been  so  illumined. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  we  owe  our  knowl- 
edsre  of  the  Divine  Providence.     Of  God's  care  and  rule 

o 

over  the  world,  or  over  his  creatures  in  it,  the  heathen 
nations  had  no  correct  knowledge  or  worthy  idea.  To 
one  class  among  them  the  Deity  was  but  a  figment  of  the 
imagination;  and  consequently  his  providence  could  have 
been  but  a  figment  likewise.  Another  class  multiplied 
him  into  numerous  rival  divinities,  from  whose  conflict- 
ing sway  neither  safety  nor  comfort  could  be  inferred. 
Another  class  still  conceived  his  throne  to  be  removed  to 
such  a  distance  as  relieved  the  world  of  both  his  govern- 
ment and  his  presence,  and  that  he  was  so  absorbed  with 
his  own  dignity  and  repose  that  neither  the  wants  nor  the 
doings  of  huinan  beings  ever  occupied  liis  attention.  To 
the  heathen,  the  great  mass  of  mankind,  therefore,  there 
could  be  no  such  a  thing  as  Providence  in  any  proper 
sense  of  the  word.  And  to  the  Jews,  the  Divine  Provi- 
dence had  become  little  else  than  arbitrary  interpositions 
in  the  affairs  of  men,  or  occasional  favoritism  toward 
their  own  nation. — Widely  different  from  all  this  is  the 
Divine  government  of  the  world,  as  revealed  beneath  the 
lightof  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  He  teaches  men  to  regard 
God  as  their  Father,  and  the  world  as  being  under  his  un- 
remitting supervision  and  care.  Illuminating  the  face  of 
creation,  he  reveals  God  in  active  communication  with 
every  part  of  his  vast  dominions,  and  working  for  the 
universal  weal  throu":h  a  thousand  different  a2;encies, 
"  making'  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  the  good,  and 
Bending  his  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust;" — reveals 


140  THE    CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

liim  as  overruling  all  things  affecting  his  people  so  that 
they  work  together  for  their  good ; — reveals  him  as  con- 
cerned in  the  welfiire  of  all  his  creatures,  listening  to 
their  every  cry,  providing  for  their  every  want ; — reveals 
him  even  as  feeding  the  fowls  of  the  air,  painting  the 
lilies  of  the  field,  and  numbering  the  very  hairs  of  every 
head.  Having  thus  exhibited  the  fair  face  of  Nature 
everywhere  animated  by  the  living,  active  presence  of  its 
Maker,  he  turns  to  his  entranced  listeners,  and  teaches 
the  lesson  of  providence  with  a  force  and  clearness,  such 
as  neither  philosopher,  nor  sage,  nor  prophet  ever  ap- 
proached:— "Therefore  I  say  unto  you.  Take  no  thought 
for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink; 
nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  j)ut  on.  Is  not  the 
life  more  than  meat,  and  the  body  than  raiment?  Behold 
the  fowls  of  the  air :  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they 
reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your  heavenly  Father 
feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they?  And 
why  take  ye  thought  for  raiment?  Consider  the  lilies  of 
the  field,  how  they  grow;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin :  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore, 
if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and 
to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  0  ye  of  little  faith?" 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  are  we  indebted  for 
our  knowledge  of  the  Dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  This  great 
doctrine  had  its  origin  in  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  its  first 
announcement  from  the  lips  of  Christ.  The  gift  of  the 
Spirit,  indeed,  in  a  limited  measure,  a  mere  earnest,  had 
been  enjoyed  under  the  Jewish  dispensation ;  but  the 
Dispensation  of  the  Spirit  7>?'o;>e?",  Jesus  tells  the  disciples, 
was  to  commence  from  the  date  of  his  glorification,  or 
return  to  the  Father.     ''I  go  my  way  to  him  that  sent 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  141 

me — but  because  I  have  said  these  things  unto  you, 
sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart.  Nevertheless  I  tell  you 
the  truth;  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away:  for  if  I 
go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if 
I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto  you."  Accordingly,  when 
"he  ascended  up  on  high,  leading  captivity  captive,  he 
gave  gifts  unto  men" — that  is,  he  sent  down  the  Spirit  in 
the  fulness  of  his  gracious  influences,  as  he  had  promised; 
and  the  inunediate  result  was  the  conversion  of  thousands 
of  sinners.  Our  Saviour  made  several  other  most  im- 
portant declarations  concerning  this  Dispensation.  He 
stated  and  promised  that  the  Spirit  should  remain  with 
the  church  to  give  similar  efficacy  to  the  Gospel  wherever 
preached:  "And  he  shall  take  of  the  things  of  Christ, 
and  show  them  unto  men;"  that  is,  he  shall  so  apply  the 
Gospel  as  to  enlighten  the  minds  and  quicken  the  con- 
sciences of  men,  "convincing  them  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment."  He  declared  the  absolute  necessity 
of  regeneration  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  no  less  to  the  Jews 
than  to  the  Gentiles:  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God;"  and  the  result  of  this 
new  birth  would  be,  a  new  and  spiritual  character — "that 
whicli  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit."  He  gave  the  prom- 
ise tliat  the  Holy  Spirit  should  dwell  in  the  hearts  of 
his  followers  for  their  saiictification  and  comfort:  "I  will 
pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Com- 
forter, that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever,  even  the 
Spirit  of  truth  ;  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth."  He 
declared  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  a  special  object  of  prayer, 
and  g:ivo  full  assurance  that  whosoever  would  pray  for 
him  sincere]}'  and  earnestly  should  receive  him  :  "Seek, 
and  ye  shall  find — Every  one  that  seeketh  findeth — If  ye 
being  evil  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children, 


142  THE  CELESTIAL  SYxMBOL. 

how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him?"  And,  finally,  he 
announced  that  the  crowning  effect  of  the  operations  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  would  be  to  glorify  him  as  the  Saviour  of 
the  world  :  "He  shall  glorify  me;"  this  the  Spirit  would 
do  by  rendering  Christ  the  object  of  supreme  affection 
and  delight  to  every  believer ;  and  believers  would  go  on 
multiplying  till,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  the  human  race  at 
large  would  be  led,  as  with  one  heart  and  one  hand,  to 
"crown  him  Lord  of  all." — Here,  then,  was  a  most  won- 
derful and  most  gracious  doctrine,  and  a  doctrine,  too, 
which  had  never  been  sounded  in  the  ears  of  men  before. 
All  these  declarations  as  they  dropped  from  the  Saviour's 
lips  were  new  truths,  new  light,  and  opened  up  new  privi- 
leges and  prospects  to  the  church  and  to  the  world.  That 
the  Holy  and  Divine  Spirit  should  thus  dwell  with  man, 
reigning  over  his  will  and  conscience  and  all  the  powers 
of  the  soul,  and  sweetly  harmonizing  all  the  affections  of 
his  heart  with  the  will  of  God,  is  a  conception  which 
never  dawned  upon  the  human  mind  until  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  taught  it  to  his  humble  disciples. 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  we  owe  our  assur- 
ance of  the  Resurrection  of  the  Body.  Of  this  doctrine 
the  heathen  nations  knew  nothing;  when  the  idea  was 
broached  by  the  apostle  Paul  to  the  learned  Atlienians, 
we  are  told  that  they  "  mocked,"  deeming  it  a  notion  too 
absurd  to  admit  of  an  argument  in  its  refutation.  And 
the  same  apostle,  in  his  defensive  address  before  Festus, 
Agrippa  and  Bernice,  and  the  chief  captains  and  principal 
men  of  Cesarea,  informs  us  that  his  noble  audience 
"  deemed  it  a  thing  incredible  that  God  should  raise  the 
dead."  Among  the  Jews,  indeed,  some  vague  notions  of 
a  resurrection  from  the  dead  had  long  been  floating;  and 
the  Pharisees  of  our  Saviour's  time  held  and  taught  the 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  143 

dogma  of  a  partial  resurrection,  while  the  Sadducees  de- 
nied it  altogether.  Thus,  all  that  was  known  on  this 
profound  subject  previous  to  the  ministry  of  Christ,  was 
crude  and  uncertain,  and  practically  of  no  influence.  It 
remained  for  him  to  state,  illustrate  and  establish  this 
grand  doctrine.  Not  until  He  announced  it  was  it  known 
to  the  world  that  "  There  corneth  an  hour  in  the  which 
all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  come  forth  ;  they  that 
have  done  good  to  the  resurrection  of  life,  and  they  that 
have  done  evil  unto  the  resurrection  of  damnation."  Not 
until  they  witnessed,  at  his  almighty  bidding,  those  who 
had  expired  come  back  to  life  again,  and  those  stretched 
upon  the  bier  sitting  up  and  beginning  to  speak,  and 
those  who  had  been  buried  come  forth  from  tlie  sepul- 
chre bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave-clothes — did  men 
see  and  know  the  power  that  was  able  to  vanquish  death, 
and  to  restore  to  life  and  loveliness  from  the  wreck  and 
ruin  of  the  tomb.  And  not  until  he  himself  had  risen 
from  the  dead,  was  the  proof  of  this  glorious  triumph 
fully  wrought  out — when,  on  the  morning  of  the  third 
day,  in  the  presence  of  adoring  angels,  he  roused,  and 
rose  from  his  rocky  resting-place,  and  stood  at  the  mouth 
of  the  sepulclwe,  radiant  with  immortality,  then  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Resurrection  of  the  Dead  was  fully  and  for- 
ever established.  "  Now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  become  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  sk^pt."  Glorious 
triumph  !  "  0  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  0  grave,  where 
is  thy  victory?"  How  sublime  the  prospect,  how  inspir- 
ing the  hopes,  which  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  reveals  to 
us,  even  through  the  dark  portals  of  the  tomb! 

To  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  him  alone,  do  we  owe  our 
information  concerning  the  circumstances^  the  i^rocess,  and 
the  issue  of  the  final  Judgment.  The  doctrine  of  a  future 
judgment  did  not,  indeed,  originate  in  the   teaching  of 


144  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Christ;  it  had  been  early  revealed  to  the  Jews  that  "God 
would  bring  every  work  into  judgment; "  and  even  some 
of  the  wise  among  the*  heathen  conceived  that  such  an 
adjudication  would  take  place.  But  to  both  Jews  and 
heathen,  the  event  was  but  obscurely  seen,  as  amid  dark 
and  distant  clouds ;  all  particulars,  and  the  person  of  the 
Judge,  the  process  and  principle  of  the  judgment,  the 
circumstances  attending  it,  and  the  solemn  and  affecting 
results,  were  unknown  to  them;  for  these  we  are  entirely 
indebted  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  first  announced 
to  the  world,  that  Himself  will  be  the  Judge  of  the  quick 
and  the  dead — that  "the  Father  judgeth  no  man,  but 
hath  committed  all  judgment  to  the  Son  " — that  "he  shall 
come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  in  his  own  glory,  and  in 
the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  of  all  his  holy  angels,  w^ith  a 
great  sound  of  trumpets  " — that  "  before  him  sliall  be 
gathered  all  nations" — that  "there  is  nothing  covered 
which  shall  not  then  be  revealed,  or  hid  wdiich  shall  not 
be  made  known" — that  "every  one  shall  receive  the 
things  done  in  the  body,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad" — that 
even  "for  every  idle  word  men  sliall  speak,  they  shall 
give  an  account  on  that  day  " — that  the  widow's  two  mites, 
and  even  the  cup  of  cold  water,  shall  not  ♦jo  unrewarded 
— that  "  it  will  be  more  tolerable  for  some  than  for  others 
in  that  day  " — that  "  he  who  knew  his  Lord's  will  and 
did  it  not,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes;"  and  "  he 
who  knew  it  not,  and  did  things  worthy  of  stri|)es,  shall  be 
beaten  with  few  stripes" — that  those  who  had  enjoyed 
lesser  light  and  privileges  shall  arise  in  judgment  and 
condemn  those  who  had  neglected  or  abused  greater  light 
and  privileges — that  "  the  angels  shall  come  forth  and 
sever  the  wicked  IVoni  the  righteous,  and  shall  separate 
them  one  from  another,  as  a  shepherd  divideth  his  sheep 
from  the  goats" — that  "the  Judge  shall   say  to  them  on 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  145 

his  right  hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world ;  and  to  them  on  his  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and 
his  angels  " — that  "  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting 
punishment,  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal."  All  these 
are  facts,  connected  with  the  proceedings  of  the  great  day, 
which  we  owe  to  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ.  Never 
before  had  the  pomp  and  circumstances,  the  principles 
and  issues  of  the  final  judgment,  been  thus  plainly  and 
fully  stated.  Never  had  the  solemn  scene  been  so 
minutely  and  so  vividly  portrayed  before  men. 

Such  is  a  summary,  but  an  incomplete  one,  of  the  prin- 
cipal doctrines  taught  by  Jesus  Christ,  which  were  neio 
to  mankind;  doctrines  that  were  alike  novel  and  sur- 
prising to  all  who  heard  them  : — The  paternal  character 
of  God,  his  deep  love  and  tender  pity  for  erring  and  per- 
ishing men — The  soul  of  man,  its  reality,  grentness,  im- 
mortality, and  transcendent  value — The  perfection  and 
holiness  of  the  Divine  Law,  its  authority  over  the  work- 
ings of  the  inward  no  less  than  over  the  outward  man — 
The  true  worship  of  God,  its  source,  its  nature  and  spirit — 
The  Providence  of  God,  its  all-embracing  nature  and  un- 
remitting agency — The  Dispensation  of  the  Spirit,  his 
abiding  presence  with  the  church,  his  agency  in  the  con- 
version of  sinners  and  the  sanctification  of  saints — The 
Resurrection  of  the  Dead,  its  proof,  its  universality,  and 
its  clorious  results — The  final  iudirmentof  all,  its  attend- 
ant  circumstances,  its  process,  principles  and  solemn 
issues.  All  these  interesting  and  momentous  D()(;trines, 
and  numerous  others  connected  with  them,  we  owe  to  the 
teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  alone;  as  they  dro})p<-(l  from  his 
lips  they  were  new  trutJis  and  new  lessons  to  the  world, 
and   such   as  the   wisest   and   briirhtest   souls   that  went 


146  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

before  had  never  conceived,  yet  truths  and  lessons  which 
flowed  from  his  luminous  mind  with  equal  ease  and  natu- 
ralness as  flow  the  rays  of  light  from  the  Sun  in  the 
heavens. 

These  are  doctrines  not  to  be  found  in  any  system  of 
human  philosopliy ;  doctrines  which  have  no  place  in  the 
sayings  of  Socrates,  or  Plato,  or  Cleanthes,  or  Zeno,  or 
Epictetus.  And  not  only  that,  but  we  look  in  vain  for 
them  even  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  in  anything 
like  the  pure  and  spiritual  and  exalted  character  in  which 
they  were  put  forth  by  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  universality, 
the  simplicity,  the  fulness,  the  radiant  and  overflowing 
benignity  of  his  teachings,  are  without  a  parallel,  and 
without  a  semblance.  These  are  characteristics  which 
exalt  the  Gospel  of  Clirist  immeasurably,  not  only  above 
all  philosophic  sayings  and  writings,  but  even  above  all 
the  Divine  Oracles  of  the  earlier  ages.  He  stands  incom- 
parably above  all  that  had  ever  been  inspired  with  a 
message,  or  honored  with  a  mission,  to  our  sinful  world. 
From  his  Divine  Mind  there  shone  forth  a  light,  which 
neither  Egypt,  nor  India,  nor  Greece,  nor  Rome,  nor  even 
Palestine  itself,  had  ever  seen  or  known  before.  Great 
and  blessed,  indeed,  was  the  tide  of  illumination  which 
flowed  in  upon  the  world  with  the  advent  of  Messiah, 
with  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

What  glory  crowns  the  Master's  Head ! 
Majestic,  like  the  Sun, 
He  gives  a  light  on  quick  and  dead; 
He  gives,  but  borrows  none. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  l47 

ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  Light  of  the  Sun  of  Nature  combines  in  itself  every  possible  shade 
of  color, — so  the  Character  of  Jesus  the  Sun  of  liighteousness  embraced 
every  possible  grace  and  virtue. 

Phenomena. 

The  world  in  which  we  live,  as  is  manifest  to  all,  is  a 
globe  composed  of  many  and  diverse  substances ;  and  so 
are  all  its  distinctive  parts  and  appendages.  We  know 
of  nothing  belonging  to  it,  in  its  natural  state,  that  is 
simple,  or  uncompounded.  Everything  that  we  see,  or 
feel,  or  handle,  is  a  composition  or  mixture  of  different 
elements.  The  arable  soil  and  the  solid  rocks  are  such. 
So  also  are  all  the  waters  of  the  earth,  whether  seas 
or  lakes  or  rivers.  Even  the  atmosphere  we  breathe  is 
a  compound  substance,  being  a  mixture  of  four  distinct 
elements.  And  what  is  more  wonderful  still,  light,  the 
pure  white  light  of  the  Sun,  is  a  compound  thing;  every 
ray  or  beam  from  the  Sun  may  be  divided  and  subdi- 
vided into  many  perfectly  distinct  rays.  A  ray  of  light, 
indeed,  is  a  very  complex  and  marvellous  thing — it  is  a 
world  in  miniature. 

The  first  philosopher  who  showed  that  wJiite  light  is  a 
compound  of  light  of  many  different  colors  was  Sir  Isaac 
Newton.  This  he  proved  in  the  following  manner  :  hav- 
ing made  a  room  perfectly  dark,  he  pierced  a  hole  through 
the  window-shutter,  and  allowed  a  thin  sunbeam  to  pass 
through  it.  The  beam  formed  a  round  image  of  the  Sun 
on  the  opposite  white  wall  of  the  room.  In  the  path  of 
this  beam  he  placed  a  j)rism,  or  a  three-sided  bar  of  clear 
glass,  expecting  to  see  the  beam  refracted,  or  bent  in  its 
course,  and  also  expecting  to  see  the  image  of  the  Sun, 
after  refraction,  round,  as  before  ;  but  to  his  astonishment, 
it  was   drawn  out  to  an  image   whose  lencfth  was  five 


148 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


times  its  breadth;  and  this  image,  which  he  called  a 
spectrum,  was  divided  into  bands  of  different  colors, 
resembling  a  narrow  cross  section  of  a  bright  rainbow. 
From  this  the  clear  and  penetrating  mind  of  Newton  at 
once  inferred  that  the  solar  light  was  composite,  not 
simple.  This  image  revealed  to  him  the  fact  that  some 
constituents  of  the  solar  light  were  more  deflected  by  the 


NEWTON   EXPEIiliMENTING   WITH   LIGHT. 

prism  than  others,  and  he  concluded,  therefore,  that 
white  solar  light  was  a  mixture  of  lights  of  different 
colors  and  of  different  degrees  of  refrangibility.  He  di- 
vided the  spectrum  into  seven  parts,  red,  orcunje,  yeJIow, 
green,  hliie,  indigo,  violet;  and  these  are  commonly  called 
tlie  seven  primary  or  prismatic  colors.* 

*  See  Part  IL,  Analogy  VIH. 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT. 


149 


To  make  this  beautiful  experiment  perfectly  plain,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  annexed  diagram.  In  tliis  figure 
A  B  represents  the  course  of  the  pencil  of  solar  light 
passing  through  the  window-shutter  S  S.  The  prism  P  is 
so  placed  as  to  intercept  the  light.  Now,  if  the  prism 
were  removed,  the  light  would  fall  at  ^,  and  make  a  small 
elliptical  image  there.  And  if  the  solar  light  were  simple 
instead  of  being  composed  of  rays  of  many  different 
colors,  it  would  follow  such  a  course  as  is  indicated  by 
the  bent  line,  and  form  a  small  elliptical  image  at  i' — 
this  image  being  white  like  that  at  i,  and  resembling  it 


EXHIBITION  OF  THE  SOLAR  SPECTIIUM. 


also  in  shape.  This  was  what  Newton  expected  when 
he  began  his  experiment;  but  instead  of  this,  a  stronk 
of  light  was  formed,  as  from  V  to  R,  exhibiting  all  the 
seven  colors  above  named.  It  will  be  observed  from  the 
diagram  that  the  violet  rays,  which  fall  at  Y,  arc  the  most 
refrangible  or  bent  b}'  the  action  of  the  prism  ;  the  red 
rays,  which  fall  at  R,  the  least;  the  others  fall  respec- 
tively at  the  points  indicated  by  their  initial  letters  in  the 
figure. 

Now,  if  white  light  is  a  mixture  of  the  various  colored 
raj's  of  the  spectrum,  we  would  reasonably  expect  that 
these,  being  recombined,  would  form  white  liirht  airain ; 


150  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  this  is  found  to  be  the  fact.  Let  the  spectrum  be 
made  to  fall  upon  the  anterior  surface  of  a  large  lens, 
so  that  all  the  various-colored  rajs  shall  be  collected  and 
reblended  on  the  posterior  side,  they  will  form  there  an 
image  of  as  pure  white  light  as  the  original. 

If,  however,  some,  or  even  one,  of  the  colored  rays  be 
intercepted,  and  not  allowed  to  fall  on  the  lens,  the  image 
formed  by  the  combination  of  the  others  will  not  he  white^ 
but  bear  a  tinge  corresponding  to  the  colors  abstracted. 
For  example,  let  the  red  and  orange  rays  be  cut  off,  and 
the  mixture  of  the  remaining  rays  will  be  a  greenish 
mixed  color.  Let  all  the  rays  be  cut  off,  except  the  red 
and  orange,  and  the  mixture  will  be  a  reddish  colored 
image.  And  now,  let  these  two  colored  images,  the 
greenish  and  the  reddish,  which  together  embrace  all  the 
seven  prismatic  colors,  be  combined  and  blended,  and  you 
have  again  an  image  of  pure  white. 

The  above  facts  plainly  and  conclusively  prove  that 
the  light  of  the  Sun  is  a  combination  of  rays  of  all  the 
colors  of  the  rainbow ;  that  all  these  are  essential  to  its 
purity;  and  that  one  being  absent,  its  perfection  is  im- 
paired. 

Teachings. 

Now,  as  the  liglit  of  the  Sun  of  Nature  thus  combines 
in  itself  every  possible  shade  of  color,  so  the  character  of 
Jesus  the  Su)i  of  Righteousness  cmhraced  every  possible 
grace  and  virtue; — his  was  a  perfect  character,  and  one 
to  be  imaged  only  by  the  pure  white  light  of  heaven.  "He 
was  the  true  Lio;ht." 

In  Jesus  Christ  we  have  a  character  that  stands  alone; 
in  all  human  history  we  can  find  none  like  it ;  it  is 
entirely  unique.  Such  a  character  had  never  even  been 
described  ;  the  fertile  imagination  of  poets  had  never  con- 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  151 

ceived  its  equal  or  its  like.  No  Greek  or  Roman  philo- 
sopher had  ever  proposed  in  theory  a  standard  of  mo- 
rality so  pure  and  so  perfect  as  he  not  only  taught,  but 
daily  practised.  His  teachings  were  but  a  reflection  of 
his  own  divine  life.  In  the  constellation  of  the  world's 
great  and  wise  and  good  men,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  not  a 
star  that  shines  a  little  brighter  than  the  rest,  but  a  Sun 
in  whose  light  the  stars  grow  pale  and  dim. 

In  Jesus  Christ  we  have  a  sinless  cliaracter.  From  the 
fall  of  Adam  until  the  day  of  his  advent  there  had  never 
been  a  liuman  being  who  had  kept  himself  free  from  the 
contamination  of  sin  and  guilt.  "All  had  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God."  The  wisest  and  best  among 
the  heathen — Socrates,  Plato,  Seneca,  Epictetus,  Plu- 
tarch, Marcus  Aurelius — all  felt  and  all  admitted  their 
imperfection.  Nor  can  we  find  a  perfect  man  among  the 
most  devoted  of  Scripture  characters;  Noah,  Abraham, 
Job,  Moses,  David,  Isaiah,-  and  Daniel  confessed  and  be- 
wailed their  manifold  sins  and  transgressions  against  the 
holy  law  of  God.  But  in  Jesus  Christ  we  behold  a 
character  without  sin.  "  He  did  no  evil,  neither  was 
guile  found  in  his  mouth."  He  never  had  to  retract  a 
word,  never  to  regret  a  deed,  never  to  ask  pardon  of  God 
or  man.  Though  living  in  a  corrupt  age  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  very  wicked  people,  and  though  tempted  in  all 
points  like  as  we  are,  yea  and  much  more,  yet  he  was 
without  sin.  He  never  did  an  injury  to  a  man  ;  and  he 
never  resented  an  injury  done  to  himself — when  he  was 
opposed,  "he  endured  the  contradiction  of  sinners"  in 
silence,  and  "when  he  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not  again;" 
he  never  uttered  an  untruth;  he  never  practised  a  decep- 
tion ;  he  never  neglected  a  duty.  He  was  absolutely  un- 
conscious of  sin.  He  could  challenge  his  keenest  enemies 
to  prove  aught  against  him — "'Which  of  you  convicteth 

10 


152  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

me  of  sin?" — was  his  calm  and  fearless  demand  of  them. 
Yea,  he  could  appeal  to  his  Father  in  heaven,  that  he 
had  accomplished  all  duty  and  fulfilled  all.  righteousness 
— "I  have  glorified  thee  on  the  earth;  I  have  finished  the 
work  which  thou  gavest  me  to  do." — Never  before,  never 
since,  trod  the  face  of  the  earth  a  being  so  pure,  so  holy, 
as  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

Again  :  In  Christ  we  see  a  jyerfecthj  balanced  char- 
acter. As  in  the  spectrum  of  the  sunbeam,  no  ray  is 
either  in  excess  or  in  deficiency,  so  as  to  impart  a  tinge 
to  the  combination  of  the  whole,  but  each  is  so  meted 
and  balanced  with  all  the  rest  as  to  produce  a  purely 
white  image ;  so  in  Christ,  all  the  elements  of  his  being, 
his  intellect,  his  conscience,  his  affections,  and  his  sym- 
pathies were  in  such  perfect  equipoise  as  to  result  in  a 
faultless  character.  In  human  beings,  even  the  Avisest 
and  the  best,  we  rarely  see  an  approach  to  a  well-propor- 
tioned and  well-sustained  character.  If  they  near  the 
standard,  in  one  particular,  they  f\ill  short  of  it  in  an- 
other. In  cherishing  this  or  that  virtue,  they  forget  or 
neglect  others  that  are  equally  important ;  so  that  the 
goodness  they  seek  to  attain  ever  proves  a  defective  and 
unequal  development.  But  in  the  wondrous  Person  we 
are  contemplating,  we  see  every  human  virtue  in  perfec- 
tion, and  all  moral  excellences  in  even  balance.  Every- 
where and  in  all  things,  intellectually  and  morally, 
socially  and  personally,  in  relation  to  his  kindred  and  his 
disciples,  to  his  friends  and  his  enemies,  he  always  acts 
up  to  our  highest  ideal  of  perfect  humanity. 

In  the  Lord  Jesus  we  likewise  behold  a  complete 
and  harmonious  character.  To  it  nothing  is  wanting, 
in  it  nothing  is  discordant.  It  is  a  blessed  unity. 
As  in  the  sunlight,  rays  of  many  differing  colors — red 
and  blue,  orange  and  indigo,  yellow  and  violet,  violet  and 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  153 

green — unite  and  blend  in  one  pure  white  image ;  so  in 
Christ,  virtues  and  graces  that  stand  in  greatest  contrast 
meet  and  harmonize  in  one  sweet  and  divine  character. 
In  him  we  see  the  most  diverse  moral  excellences  blend- 
ing in  one  spirit — conscious  greatness  blending  with  un- 
feigned humility;  abiding  firmness  of  purpose,  with  the 
most  yielding  gentleness;  perfect  justice,  Avith  the  freest 
mercy;  true  dignit}-,  with  genuine  condescension;  indig- 
nation against  sin,  with  weeping  compassion  for  the  sinner; 
a  devout  walk  with  God,  and  a  friendly  walk  with  man; 
unyielding  resolution  in  duty,  with  serene  resignation  in 
trial ;  courage  which  no  array  of  dangers  could  deter, 
with  tenderness  which  was  ever  attentive  to  the  faintest 
appeal  of  misery;  supreme  regard  for  the  interests  of 
the  soul,  with  unfxiling  attention  to  the  welfare  of  the 
body.  Moreover,  in  Jesus  we  see  the  union  of  traits 
more  diverse  and  wondrous  still — sympathy  that  could 
weep  with  the  bereaved,  with  energies  that  could  call 
back  to  life  their  dead;  a  presence  from  which  devils  in 
confusion  fled,  with  gentleness  that  invited  little  children 
to  his  arms;  excellency  that  commanded  the  homage  of 
celestial  visitants,  with  the  compassion  that  could  receive 
with  joy  the  tribute  of  a  sinful  woman's  tears;  authority 
that  could  summon  to  his  aid  legions  of  angels,  with  sub- 
mission to  the  suderin'j:  of  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross;  justice  that  could  have  consumed  his  enemies  as 
Btubhle,  with  foriiivin-'uess  that  could  pr;iv  for  them  with 
his  (lying  breath.  In  a  word,  in  Jesus  Christ,  we  beliold 
blended  a  greatness  and  goodness  and  mnjesty  with  a 
humility  and  compassion  and  love,  such  as  eye  had  never 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  mind  of  man  conceived  before. 

Never  man  lived,  and  never  man  died,  like  this  man. 
He  stands  alone  in  the  perfection  of  iiis  character  and 
the  purity  of  his  life.      The  life  and  character  of  Christ 


154  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

have  not  simply  received  the  approval  but  commanded 
the  admiration  of  men  of  all  conditions  and  of  all  grades 
of  culture,  and  notably  of  those  who  stand  confessed 
among  the  wisest  and  the  best.  To  every  lover  of  God 
and  of  virtue,  through  all  the  ages  since,  whether  literate 
or  illiterate,  whether  an  Onesimus  in  bonds  or  a  Paul  in 
freedom,  whether  a  Fenelon  among  courtiers  or  a  Newton 
among  philosophers,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  been  a  Being 
of  supreme  moral  beauty  and  loveliness.  Nor  has  his 
excellency  failed  to  wring  expressions  of  unqualified 
praise  even  from  the  most  intellectual  and  refined  among 
those  who  have  refused  to  yield  him  their  hearts.  Even 
Pilate  was  forced  to  say,  "I  find  no  fault  in  him;"  and 
the  same  has  been  the  verdict  of  many  a  judge  of  the 
like  spirit  since  his  day. 

"  In  Christ,"  says  Cliuhb,  a  noted  Deist  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  "we  have  an  example  of  a  most  gracious 
and  benevolent  temper  and  behavior.  One  who  did  no 
wrong,  no  injury  to  any  man,  in  whose  mouth  was  no 
guile ;  who  went  about  doing  good,  not  only  by  his 
ministry,  but  also  in  curing  all  manner  of  diseases  among 
the  people.  His  life  was  a  beautiful  picture  of  human 
nature  in  its  native  purity  and  simplicity;  and  showed 
at  once  what  excellent  creatures  m(5n  would  be,  when 
under  the  influence  and  power  of  that  gospel  which  he 
preached  unto  them."* 

Goethe,  though  he  refused  to  be  classed  with  Christians, 
yet  gave  utterance  to  this  very  decisive  statement — "The 
human  mind,  no  matter  how  much  it  may  advance  in 
intellectual  culture  and  in  the  extent  and  depth  of  the 
knowledge  of  nature,  will  never  transcend  the  height  and 
moral  culture  of  Christianity,  as  it  shines  and  glows  in 
the  Person  of  its  Founder."  'j* 

*  Chubb's  True  Gospel,  Sect.  VllL,  p.  bo.  t  Gesp.mit  Ecker,  III.,  373. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  155 

Napolecm  L,  after  his  great  achievements  and  great 
fall,  among  many  other  striking  things,  said,  "  I  search 
in  vain  in  history  to  find  one  equal  to  Jesus  Christ, 
anything  which  can  approach  the  gospel.  Neither  his- 
tory nor  humanity,  nor  the  ages,  nor  nature,  offer  me 
anything  with  which  I  am  able  to  compare  it  or  explain 
it."=^ 

Strauss,  the  learned  German  antagonist  of  the  gospel 
history,  is  constrained  to  admit  that  "Jesus  represents, 
within. the  sphere  of  religion,  the  culmination  point,  be- 
yond which  posterity  can  never  go,  yea,  which  it  cannot 
even  equal.  He  remains  the  highest  model  of  religion 
within  the  reach  of  our  thought."f 

We  have  an  equally  just  and  even  more  eloquent  testi- 
mony to  the  character  of  Jesus,  from  the  pen  of  the  cele- 
brated Rousseau,  an  infidel  of  world-wide  reputation, 
from  which  we  present  this  extract :  "  I  confess  to  you 
that  the  purity  of  the  gospel  has  its  influence  upon  my 
heart.  Peruse  tlie  works  of  our  philosophers,  with  all 
their  pomp  of  diction  ;  how  mean,  how  contemptible  are 
they,  compared  with  this!  Is  it  possible  that  a  book,  at 
once  so  simple  and  sublime,  should  be  merely  the  work 
of  man?  Is  it  possible  that  the  sacred  personage,  -whose 
history  it  contains,  should  be  himself  a  mere  man  ?  .  .  . 
What  sweetness,  what  purity  in  his  manners!  What  an 
affecting  gracefulness  in  his  delivery !  What  sublimity 
in  his  maxims !  What  profound  wisdom  in  his  dis- 
courses !  What  presence  of  mind  in  his  replies !  How 
great  the  command  over  his  passions !  Where  is  the 
man,  where  the  philosopher,  who  could  so  live,  and  so 
die,  without  weakness  and  without  ostentation  ?  .  .  . 
What  prepossession,  what  blindness  must  it  be  to  com- 
pare Socrates  to  Jesus!     What  an  infinite  disproportion 

*  Schalf 's  Person  of  Christ.  |  Ibid. 


156  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

is  there  between  them!  .  .  .  Yes!  if  the  life  and  death  of 
Socrates  were  those  of  a  sage,  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus 
■were  those  of  a  God."* 

And  the  brilliant  but  skeptical  Renan  delivers  himself 
of  this  beautiful  tribute :  "  Whatever  may  be  the  sur- 
prises of  the  future,  Jesus  will  never  be  surpassed.  His 
worship  will  grow  young  without  ceasing;  his  legend  will 
call  forth  tears  without  end;  his  sufferings  will  melt  the 
noblest  hearts ;  all  ages  will  proclaim  that  among  the  sons 
of  men  there  is  none  born  greater  than  Jesus."-j- 


ANALOGY   III. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun,  fall  upon  whatever  impurity  or  corruption  it  may, 
remains  uncontaminuted, — so  Christ,  the  Sun  of  liighteousness,  mingle 
in  the  company  of  sinners,  of  whatever  class  or  grade  he  might,  came 
forth  from  among  tliem  immaculate  and  untainted. 

Phenomena. 

Of  all  the  agencies  that  affect  or  pertain  to  the  globe 
upon  which  we  dwell,  Light,  the  Sun's  Light,  is  the  most 
refined  and  ethereal.  It  is  unlike  all  other  earthly  elements, 
in  that  it  is  incorruptible  and  unchangeable.  Water  may 
become  impregnated  with  the  solution  of  many  delete- 
rious substances,  so  that  its  odor  may  become  pestiferous, 
and  its  taste  fatal ;  and  air,  the  air  we  breathe,  mny  be- 
come loaded  with  noisome  vapors,  or  mingled  with  deadly 
gases;  but  the  sunlight  is  insusceptible  of  any  such  inju- 
rious change  or  combination.  It  may,  indeed,  be  deflected 
from  its  course,  or  be  partially  intercepted,  or  be  excluded 
altogether;  but  its  nature  and  composition,  in  whatever 

*■  Emilias,  vol.  ii.,  p.  218.  f  Life  of  Jesus,  in  fine. 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT,  157 

degree  it  prevails,  remain  unchanged.  It  is  incapable  of 
injury,  or  taint,  or  corruption.  The  mightiest  forces  of 
Nature  cannot  affect  it.  The  ocean  may  roar  and  be 
troubled,  storms  may  rush  and  whirl  through  the  air,  and 
pestilences  may  sweep  over  the  land ;  but  the  sunlight 
continues  pure  and  unaffected  by  either. 

Nor  has  season  or  locality,  elevation  or  depression, 
cold  or  heat,  any  influence  or  power  over  light.  Whether 
it  falls  on  the  snowy  crest  of  Hernion,  in  winter,  or  in 
the  heated  depth  of  the  valley  of  Jordan  in  summer; 
whether  it  plays  among  the  vine-clad  hills  of  Galilee,  or 
beams  down  upon  the  sullen  surface  of  the  Dead  Sea ;  it 
is  always,  and  everywhere,  the  same  pure  and  uncor- 
rupted  element.  Take  the  sunbeam  wherever  it  descends 
— take  that  which  at  high  noon  has  passed  through  the 
unguarded  crevice  into  the  depths  of  the  stifling  dungeon, 
or  that  which  at  early  morn  has  glanced  into  the  damp 
and  decay  of  the  chambered  sepulchre,  and  you  will  find 
it  the  same  ethereal  and  untainted  sunbeam  still — receive 
it  there  on  a  burnished  surface,  and  it  is  reflected  at  the 
same  angles;  analyze  it,  and  it  carries  in  its  bosom  the 
same  warm  and  luminous  and  chemical  forces;  pass  it 
through  a  rarer  or  denser  medium,  and  it  is  refracted  ac- 
cording to  the  same  rules;  subject  it  to  the  action  of  a 
prism,  and  it  is  decomposed  into  the  same  colors,  and 
these  stand  in  the  same  order;  in  a  word,  it  is  the  same 
in  all  respects. 

The  sunbeam  is  incorruptible.  Let  it  descend  upon 
whatever  scene  of  disorder  or  corruption  it  may — let  it 
shine  and  play  amid  whatever  objects  of  impurity  or 
vileness  it  ma}^,  and  it  continues  as  pure  and  ethereal  as 
the  moment  it  left  the  great  fountain  of  light. 


168  the  celestial  symbol. 

Teachings. 

In  all  this  we  have  a  type  of  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, as  true  as  it  is  beautiful  and  significant.  Enter 
whatever  company,  associate  witli  whatever  grade  of  society, 
mingle  with  whatever  class  of  sinners  he  might,  he  came  forth 
from  among  them  immaculate  and  untainted  as  he  entered. 
"  He  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in  his  mouth." 
To  the  end  he  continued  "holy,  harmless  and  undefiled.'* 

This  purity  of  character  was  maintained  by  our  blessed 
Lord,  not  by  a  separation  from  the  world,  nor  seclusion 
from  human  society,  for  such  was  not  the  case.  He 
mingled  freely  with  men  of  every  rank  and  condition, 
wherever  he  went.  At  no  time  did  he  maintain  the  pri- 
vacy of  a  recluse,  or  practise  the  austerities  of  an  ascetic, 
or  seek  the  soHtude  of  a  monk.  He  lived  as  a  man  amonsr 
men ;  he  ate  and  drank  and  dressed  as  other  men.  He 
even  shared  in  their  toils  and  fatigues,  in  their  wants  and 
trials,  in  their  sufferings  and  sorrows.  He  joined  in  their 
social  gatherings,  in  their  worshipping  assemblies,  their 
marriage  feasts  and  funeral  processions.  Unlike  the 
heathen  sages,  he  assumed  no  mysterious  or  sacred  isola- 
tion ;  unlike  the  Stoic  philosopher,  he  despised  no  grade 
of  men;  unlike  the  self-righteous  Pharisee,  he  shunned  no 
class  of  sinners.  He  feared  no  taint,  and  he  felt  no  hu- 
miliation from  converse  or  contact  with  any.  As  the  Sun 
witiiholds  his  light  from  no  scene  or  object  in  order  to 
preserve  its  purity,  but  sheds  it  as  freely  on  the  miry  pit 
as  on  the  marble  pavement,  on  the  pestilential  marsh  as 
on  the  perfumed  garden — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
withheld  not  his  presence  from  any  class  or  community 
for  fear  of  pollution,  but  mingled  and  conversed  as  famil- 
iarly with  publicans  and  sinners  as  with  the  scribes  and 
rulers.     He  entered  the  house  of  Zaccheus  the  publican 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  159 

as  readily  as  that  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  and  accepted 
the  silent  tears  of  Mary  of  Magdala  with  no  less  cordi- 
ality than  the  loud  hosannas  of  the  triumphal  multi- 
tude. He  shunned  no  man  because  he  was  a  sinner 
above  others.  He  sought  not  to  preserve  his  holiness 
unspotted  by  avoiding  contact  with  the  world  ;  but  ever 
stood  ready  to  act  the  part  of  a  friend  toward  the  chief 
of  sinners. 

Nor  are  we  to  ascribe  the  Saviour's  purity  of  char- 
acter to  a  special  exemption  from  trials.  Far,  indeed,  was 
this  from  being  his  case ;  "  he  was  tempted  in  all  points 
like  as  we  are."  He  was  tempted  of  the  devil,  and  he 
was  tempted  of  men.  The  period  of  his  ministrj^,  from 
its  beginning  to  its  close,  was  a  continued  conflict  with 
the  powers  of  darkness  and  with  the  wickedness  of  the 
world.  Because  he  was  holy  and  denounced  all  evil,  the 
workers  of  evil  hated  him,  and  opposed  him,  and  con- 
spired against  him.  The  scribes  frowned  upon  him  ;  the 
Herodians  laid  snares  for  him;  the  Sadducces  sought  to 
perplex  him  ;  and  the  Pharisees  resisted  and  reviled  him. 
At  every  step  he  took,  his  malignant  enemies  were  ready 
and  waiting  to  dart  upon  him  ; — his  actions  they  decried, 
his  motives  they  misrepresented,  his  character  they  ma- 
ligned, and  his  gracious  purposes  all  they  daily  endeav- 
ored to  defeat.  He  was  proscribed  by  the  rulers  and 
execrated  by  the  rabble.  He  was  betrayed  by  one  of 
his  own  disciples,  denied  by  another,  and  deserted  by  all 
of  them.  He  was  arrested  by  a  band  of  ruffians  in  the 
retirement  of  his  devotions.  He  was  mocked,  and  buf- 
feted and  spitten  upon  by  a  brutal  soldiery.  Truth  was  vio- 
lated, justice  was  contemned,  and  religion  was  prostituted 
to  secure  his  condemnation.  And  at  last  he  was  das- 
tardly surrendered  to  the  unrestrained  cruelty  and  ven- 
geanceof  his  enemies,  while  hip  very  judge  was  forced  to  cry 


160  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

out  amid  their  clamor,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him."  Yet 
through  all  these  unparalleled  trials  and  sufferings,  he 
continued  "holy,  harmless  and  undefiled."  His  wisdom 
and  patience  never  failed  him.  His  forbearance  and  love 
never  forsook  him.  His  purposes  of  grace  toward  man 
never  faltered.  His  calmness  and  serenity  were  never 
disturbed.  His  holy  consistency  was  never  once  marred 
by  word  or  act.  In  the  midst  of  hypocrites  he  remained 
faithful  and  true;  in  the  midst  of  the  selfish  he  continued 
generous ;  in  the  midst  of  the  sensual  he  was  ever  pure ; 
in  the  midst  of  the  false  and  malicious  and  cruel  he  main- 
•tained  his  meekness,  forbearance  and  love;  and  out  of  the 
midst  of  every  scene  of  trial  and  corruption,  he  came  forth 
pure  and  transparent  as  the  sunbeam  ! 

What  a  character  was  that  of  Jesus!  What  a  life  was 
that  he  lived  1  Among  all  the  sons  of  men  there  is  not 
one  that  may  be  compared  with  him.  There  never  was 
a  human  being,  however  wise  and  good,  who  did  not  oc- 
casionally deviate  more  or  less  from  the  rule  of  his  duty 
— who  did  not  yield  more  or  less  to  the  pressure  of  cir- 
cumstances, or  allow  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  pas- 
sion or  excitement — or  who  did  not  betray  some  native 
weakness,  some  falterincr  in  the  nath  of  dutv,  some  un- 
belief  under  ailliction.  But  in  Jesus  Christ  we  find  the 
same  perfect  and  holy  character  at  all  times,  in  all 
places,  and  under  all  circumstances.  "We  behold  him 
in  every  conceivable  variety  of  position,"  says  an  elo- 
quent writer,  "mingling  with  all  sorts  of  persons,  and 
witl?.  ail  kinds  of  events;  we  follow  the  ste[)s  of  his 
public  life,  and  we  watch  his  most  unsuspecting  and 
retired  moments;  we  see  him  in  the  midst  of  thousands, 
or  with  his  disciples,  or  with  a  single  individual ;  we  see 
him  in  the  capital  of  his  country,  or  in  one  of  its  re- 
mote villages,  in   the  temple  and  the   synagogue,  or  in 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  161 

the  desert,  or  in  the  streets ;  we  see  him  with  the  rich 
and  with  the  poor,  the  prosperous  and  the  afflicted,  the 
good  and  the  bad,  with  his  private  friends  and  with  his 
enemies  and  murderers;  and  we  behold  him  at  last  in 
circumstances  the  most  overwhelming  which  it  is  pos- 
sible to  conceive,  deserted,  betrayed,  falsely  accused, 
unrighteously  condemned,  nailed  to  a  cross ! — but  wher- 
ever he  is,  and  however  placed,  in  the  ordinary  circum- 
stances of  his  daily  life,  or  at  the  last  supper,  or  in 
Gethsemane,  or  in  the  judgment  hall,  or  on  Calvary, 
he  is  the  same  meek,  pure,  wise,  godlike  being."  And 
at  last,  when  his  mission  upon  the  earth  was  accomplished, 
he  emerged  from  this  region  of  guilt,  ascended  on  high, 
and  re-entered  the  portals  of  heaven,  as  pure  and  un- 
spotted as  when  he  left  the  bosom  of  the  Father. 


ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  Sun  of  Katitre  finds  m  the  body  an  organ^  the  eye,  designed  to  receive 
and  appreciate  and  employ  its  light. — so  the  Sun  of  lilghUousness  finds 
in  the  sotd  a  faculty,  ike  conscience,  designed  and  qualijicd  to  receive  his 
truth  and  to  discern  the  right. 

Phenomena. 

The  creature  Man,  the  first  of  our  race,  awoke  to  con- 
sciousness in  a  world  already  formed  and  fashioned,  and 
complete  in  all  its  arrangements.  Its  firmament  had  been 
established,  its  oceans  had  received  their  bounds,  and  its 
drylands  had  been  clothed  with  verdure  and  fruitfulness. 
Its  seasons  were  pursuing  their  rounds,  and  day  and 
night  their  pleasing  alternation  of  light  and  darkness. 
Its  rivers  fiowed,  its  winds  blew,  its  lightnings  played, 
and  its  showers  descended,  all  in  their  appointed  times 
and  order.  In  a  word,  its  parts  and  elements  all  had 
received  their  laws,  and  these  were  in  full  and  universal 


162  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

operation.  And  man,  when  called  into  being,  received  a 
constitution  that  was  in  all  things  adapted  to  these  pre- 
existing cosmical  arrangements — a  constitution  that  was 
in  harmony  with  these  physical  conditions  in  the  midst 
of  which  he  found  himself  placed.  His  strength  was 
adapted  to  the  gravitation  of  the  globe  upon  which  he 
was  to  dwell,  his  organization  was  fitted  to  derive  its 
required  nourishment  from  the  fruits  and  food  which  it 
produced,  his  lungs  were  constructed  to  breathe  the  air 
which  bathed  and  fanned  its  surface,  his  olfactories  were 
nerved  to  distinguish  its  odors  and  to  be  regaled  with 
its  perfumes,  his  ears  were  attuned  to  receive  through  the 
undulations  of  the  atmosphere  their  impressions  of  sound 
and  their  delight  from  the  charms  of  music.  In  all  these, 
and  a  hundred  other  particulars,  we  see  that  the  world 
was  adapted  for  the  constitution  of  man,  and  man  adapted 
for  the  constitution  of  the  world. 

But  in  no  organ  or  function  of  the  liuman  frame  are 
design  and  contrivance  so  strikingly  observable  as  in  the 
mutual  adaptation  of  the  Eije  and  Light.  The  human 
eye  has  been  rightly  called  "the  masterpiece  of  divine 
mechanism."  The  structure  of  this  organ  is  exceedingly 
complicated,  yet  the  adjustments  of  all  its  parts  are  inim- 
itably perfect  and  beautiful.  "  There  is  that  in  the 
formation  of  the  eye,"  says  Herschel,  "  which  is  so  similar 
and  yet  so  infinitely  superior  to  a  product  of  human 
ingenuity — such  thought,  such  care,  such  refinement, 
such  advantages  taken  of  the  properties  of  natural  agents 
used  as  mere  instruments  for  accomplishing  a  given  end, 
as  force  upon  us  a  conviction  of  deliberate  choice  and 
premeditated  design,  more  strongly  perhaps,  than  any 
single  contrivance  to  be  found,  whether  in  art  or  nature, 
and  render  its  study  an  object  of  the  greatest  interest."* 

*  Encyclopedia  Jlletropolituna,  art.  Light. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT. 


163 


The  evidences  that  the  eye  is  the  work  of  designing 
Intelligence  are  numerous  and  diversified.  It  is  obviously 
constructed  with  a  distinct  reference  to  an  element  with- 
out itself,  and  an  element  the  most  ethereal  and  sublime 
in  all  nature — light.  All  its  parts  are  formed  and  ad- 
justed in  harmony  with  the  laws  which  are  known  to 
govern  this  marvellous  element.     The  following  figure, 


1,  cornea;  1',  conjunctiva;  2, 
Bclerotic;  2',  stieath  of  optic 
nerve ;  3,  ciioroid ;  3",  rods  and 
cones  of  the  retina;  4,  ciliary 
muscle;  4',  circular  portion  of 
ciliary  muscle ;  5,  ciliary  process ; 
ti,  posteiior  chamber  between  7, 
the  iris  and  the  suspensory  liga- 
ment; 7',  aniericir  cliamlicr;  8, 
artery  of  retina  in  the  centre  of 
tlio  optic  nerve;  8',  centre  of 
blind  spot;  8",  macula  lutea;  5 
9.  ora  serrata  (this  is  if  cou 
not  seen  i<iaseution  sucli  as  this, 
but  is  intr  fluced  to  show  ita 
l)o8ition);  10,  space  behind  the 
suspensory  ligament  (canal  of 
Petit);  12,  crystalline  lens;  13, 
vitreous  humur;  14  marks  the 
position  of  the  ciliary  lijj;anient; 
a,  optic  axis  (in  the  actual  eye 
of  which  this  is  an  exact  co]  y, 
the  yellow  spot  happened,  cu- 
riously enough,  not  to  be. in  the 
olitic  axis) ;  l>,  line  of  i-quator  of 
Iho  eyeball. 


SECTION   OF  THE   HUMAN   EYE. 


borrowed  from  Huxley  s  Physiology,  exhibits  a  very  com- 
plete view  of  the  structure  of  this  complicated  organ. 

The  form  of  the  eye  is  that  of  an  ellipsoid,  just  that 
shape,  out  often  thousand  possible  shapes,  which  mathe- 
maticians have  demonstrated  to  be  the  only  one  tliat  can 
refract  and  bring  together  all  the  rays  of  light  which 
proceed  from  a  particular  object  to  a  single  point,  and 
thus  form  a  distinct  image  of  such  an  object  on  the  surface 
where  they  meet. 


164 


THE  CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 


The  eye,  as  just  stated,  consists  of  a  great  number  of 
distinct  parts,  differing  in  their  material,  differing  in  their 
forms,  and  differing  in  their  offices,  yet  so  related  and  so 
skilfully  combined  as  to  compose  an  optical  instrument 

of  exactness  and  efficiency 
which  no  human  art  can 
hope  to  approach,  far  less  to 
attain. 

To  qualify  it  for  its  im- 
portant function,  the  eye 
is  encompassed  with  three 
membranes  or  coats;  the 
outermost,  or  the  sclerotic,  is 
exceedingly  firm  and  dense, 
and  gives  to  it  the  mechanical 
support  necessary  for  the 
preservation  of  its  form; 
within  this  is  another  coat, 
the  clioroldy  whose  main 
office  is  to  supply  it  with 
nourishment  through  its 
numerous  veins,  and  by  its 
black  interior  to  absorb  any 
scattered  rays  that  might 
^^^^^^S:^^i^^^^2p  interfere  with  clear  vision; 
^^^fe^^^^^^^^^^S  within  this  a2;nin  is  spread 


prej 
SECTION  OF  THE  RETINA.  a  third,  the  retina^  the  only 

1,  Lim'tary  m.mbranp;  2,  ljiyprofnorvefil)rP3:  „„„j.     ^p     j.].„      -ivlinlp     nPrvnil<J 
S,  layer<.tiirv,..clls;4.  siaiuilai  Injir;  .-.,  inner  P'll  L.     Ul      IIJC      \V  IIUIC     1ICI\UUS 

granular  layer:  G,  iiiti'rnieiliate  (rranular   laye   ;  ,  i-i  i  n  • 

7,  outer    praiailar   layer;  S.   fine   membrane;   !1,  SyStcm  SUSCCptlblC  01  imprCS' 

rods  and  cone-i ;  10,  the  choroid.     Light  penetrates      .  „  ,  . 

no  farther.  siou    from     luminous    rays. 

The  structure  of  the  retina,  though  for  the  most  part 
less  than  the  one-hundredth  part  of  an  inch  in  thickness, 
is  a  marvel  of  complication;    some   idea   of  it  may  be 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT  165 

gained  from  the  annexed  figure,  which  represents  a  ver- 
tical section  of  it,  as  it  appears  under  the  microscope. 
This  exceedingly  thin  and  delicate  layer  of  nervous 
matter  is  spread  in  the  form  of  just  such  a  concave,  and 
just  at  such  a  distance  behind  the  lenses,  as  are  indis- 
pensable to  distinct  vision  ;  any  change,  even  the  slightest, 
in  the  amount  of  this  distance,  or  in  the  character  of 
this  curve,  would  infallibly  result  in  defective  sight. 

The  interior  of  the  eye  is  occupied  by  three  trans- 
parent media,  called  the  aqueous,  the  crijatalUne,  and  the 
vitreous  humors ;  these  form  so  many  lenses  of  different 
character,  placed  one  behind  the  other,  for  the  conver- 
gence of  the  rays  of  light,  so  as  to  meet  and  form  pictures 
of  external  objects  on  the  retina,  which  lines  the  hind 
two-thirds  of  the  interior  of  the  ball. 

The  lenses  are  formed  of  substances  having  different 
refractive  powers,  so  as  to  prevent  the  light  from  being 
resolved  into  prismatic  colors,  and  so  give  to  objects  a 
tinge  which  does  not  belong  to  them;  for  this  purpose 
the  crystalline  lens  is  constructed  of  an  infinite  series 
of  concentric  layers,  which  increase  in  their  density  as 
they  succeed  one  another  from  the  surface  to  the  centre; 
by  this  means  an  optical  difficulty  is  overcome  in  a  way 
quite  inimitable  to  human  art. 

The  perforation  of  the  Iris,  or  the  pupil,  by  which  the 
light  is  admitted  into  the  eye,  is  a  very  remarkaljle  ar- 
rangement. The  Iris  is  composed  of  two  layers  of  con- 
tractile fibres;  the  one  forming  concentric  circles;  the 
other  disposed  like  radii  between  the  outer  and  inner 
margin;  when  the  former  act,  the  pupil  is  contracted ; 
when  the  latter  act,  the  breadth  of  the  Iris  is  diminished, 
and  the  pupil  is,  of  course,  dilated.  By  this  refinement 
of  ingenuity,  acting  spontaneously,  the  quantity  of  light 


166  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

admitted  into  the  interior  of  the  eye  is  regulated,  so  as 
ever  to  be  adapted  in  its  degree  of  intensity  to  the  ex- 
treme sensibility  of  the  retina. — What  structure  can  be 
more  artificial,  or  what  machinery  can  be  more  exquisite 
in  its  operation,  than  this! 

The  eye  is  furnished  with  a  most  delicate  yet  most 
efficient  system  of  pulleys  and  ligaments,-  that,  without 
conscious  effort  and  witliout  a  moment's  delay,  alter  its 
convexity  and  relative  position  of  parts,  so  as  to  adapt  it 
to  perceive  objects  at  different  distances — an  operation 
slowly  and  with  some  difficulty  effected  by  man  in  his 
telescope  by  lengthening  or  shortening  its  tube. 

The  eye  is  also  supplied  with  a  complete  system  of 
muscles,  six  in  number,  by  which  it  can  be  rapidly  turned 
at  will  in  any  direction,  so  as  to  change  or  vary  the  field 
of  vision,  as  necessity,  pleasure,  or  fancy  may  dictate. 
Four  of  these  act  by  direct  contraction,  turning  the  eye 
up  or  down,  to  the  right  or  the  left ;  the  other  two  serve 
to  give  it  an  oblique  direction — one  of  these  is  remark- 
able for  the  artificial  manner  in  which  its  tendon  passes 
through  a  cartilaginous  pulley  in  the  margin  of  the  orbit, 
and  then  turns  back  again  to  be  inserted  into  the  eye- 
ball to  give  it  a  degree  of  rotation  on  its  axis  ;  in  no 
other  way  could  the  tendon  pull  in  the  required  direc- 
tion. 

In  the  hollow  of  the  orbit,  above  the  eye,  is  planted 
the  lachrymal  gland,  a  self-acting  fountain  of  tears,  which 
gently  spread  and  flow  over  its  pellucid  surface,  to  lubri- 
cate its  motions  and  to  Avash  away  any  particle  of  dust, 
or  other  irritating  substance  that  may  happen  to  be  in- 
troduced. 

Each  eye  is  likewise  furnished  with  a  well-contrived 
conduit  to  carry  off  the  superfluous  moisture  into  the 
nostril,  to  be  evaporated  with  the  warm  breath. 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  167 

Each  eye,  moreover,  is  provided  with  lids,  like  curtains, 
to  close  over  it  in  sleep,  to  wipe  it,  to  cut  off  the  outer 
rajs  of  light  that  would  confuse  vision,  and  to  protect  it 
against  blows,  or  dust,  or  any  other  means  of  injury;  and 
the  rapidity  with  which  these  lids  open  and  close  is  past 
all  admiration. 

Even  the  position  assigned  to  the  eye  is  worthy  of 
special  remark ;  wisdom  could  not  have  chosen  a  better. 
It  is  planted  in  the  most  elevated  part  of  our  frame,  so  as 
to  command  the  most  extensive  and  the  least  obstructed 
prospect.  It  is  placed  in  front,  so  as  most  readily  to  ap- 
prise us  of  whatever  may  lie  in  the  direction  we  may 
proceed,  as  well  as  to  preside  over  the  movements  of  our 
feet  and  the  manifold  operations  of  our  hands.  It  is  sunk 
in  a  deep  bony  socket,  where  it  is  comparatively  safe 
from  external  injuries;  and  here  it  is  imbedded  in  a  soft 
cushion  of  fat,  which,  of  all  animal  substances,  is  the 
best  adapted  both  for  its  repose  and  motion ;  and  thus  its 
delicate  structure  is  not  hurt  by  the  bony  walls  around  it, 
as  it  rests  on  them,  or  as  it  turns  swiftly  hither  and  thither 
at  the  biddins;  of  the  will. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  eye  of  man — an  organ  scarce  an 
inch  in  diameter,  yet  embracing  all  these  wonderful  parts, 
these  marvels  of  optical  laws,  these  profound  principles 
of  mathematics,  these  contrivances  of  inimitable  skill — 
an  organ  whose  exquisite  powers  can  perceive  alike 
objects  that  are  near  and  those  that  are  afar  off,  can  take 
cognizance  of  the  minutest  particles  and  of  the  mightiest 
globes  of  matter,  and  can  appreciate  motions  that  are 
slow  as  the  lengthening  shadows,  or  those  swift  as  the 
descendinc:  sunbeams.  What  a  demonstration  do  all  these 
parts  and  powers  and  adaptations  offer  that  this  organ 
can  be  none  other  than  the  contrivance  of  Divine  Wisdom, 

and  the  work  of  the  Divine  Hand ! 

11 


168  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

To  man  the  eye  is  an  organ  of  incalculable  value;  his 
comfort,  his  health  and  his  life  depend  upon  its  offices ; 
daily  and  hourly  it  ministers  to  his  welfare  in  a  thousand 
different  ways.  It  is  the  guide  of  his  feet,  and  the 
director  of  his  hands.  By  it  he  discerns  what  is  harm- 
less from  what  is  hurtful,  what  is  good  from  what  is  bad. 
By  it  he  is  apprised  of  the  precipice  or  pitfall  that  lies  in 
his  way,  and  is  guided  to  pursue  a  safe  path.  By  it  he 
is  enabled  to  recognize  his  friend  at  his  side,  and  to 
descry  his  enemy  at  a  distance.  By  its  light  he  is  en- 
abled to  accomplish  the  handy  work  of  daily  life,  to 
practise  the  ingenuities  of  art,  and  to  achieve  the  won- 
ders of  science.  Of  all  the  avenues  through  which 
knowledge  finds  entrance  to  the  soul,  the  organ  of  vision 
is  the  most  affluent  in  its  contributions.  All  our  ideas 
of  form  and  color,  of  symmetry  and  beauty,  come  to  us 
through  the  pupil  of  the  eye;  yea,  through  this  narrow 
portal  we  gain  all  our  impressions  of  the  charms  of  the 
landscape,  the  vastness  of  the  earth,  and  the  glory  of  the 
heavens.  Close  this  little  aperture,  and  the  grandeur  of 
creation  would  be  displayed  in  vain — all  would  be  a 
blank.  Shut  up  this  diminutive  window,  and  the  sun 
himself  would  shine  in  vain,  for  beneath  all  its  splendors 
man  would  be  the  hapless  tenant  of  absolute  darkness, 
and  would  have  to  grope  his  way  through  the  world  as 
cheerless  as  the  mole  that  has  its  ways  and  its  habitation 
beneath  the  sods  of  the  field.  Who  then  can  fail  to  be 
unceasingly  thankful  for  the  sight  of  his  eyes! 

Teachings. 

Admirable  in  its  structure  and  important  in  its  office 
as  this  organ  implanted  in  the  body  is,  it  is  not  more  so 
than  another  organ,  or  rather  faculty,  that  is  implanted 
in  the  mind,  namely,  the  Conscience.     Conscience,  in  an 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  169 

interesting  sense,  is  the  soul's  organ  of  vision.  What 
the  eye  is  to  the  body,  that  conscience  is  to  the  soul.  By 
the  sight  of  the  eye  our  feet  are  guided  in  the  path  of 
safety,  and  by  the  direction  of  conscience  our  minds  are 
guided  in  the  path  of  rectitude ;  the  former  derives  its 
illumination  from  the  Sun  of  nature,  the  latter  from  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness. 

Now  conscience  is  our  moral  sense,  or  that  capacity  of 
our  mental  constitution  by  which  we  feel  the  difference 
between  right  and  wrong ;  and  its  office  is  to  direct  the 
exercise  of  all  our  powers,  affections  and  propensities 
according  to  the  will  of  God ;  in  other  words,  to  prescribe 
what  we  should  do  and  not  do,  what  we  should  be  and 
not  be.  And  when  its  voice  is  heeded  and  its  dictates 
obeyed,  it  bestows,  as  in  reward,  a  happy  sense  of  self- 
approbation  ;  but  when  its  commands  are  violated,  it 
arouses  within  the  mind  the  painful  feeling  of  self-con- 
demnation. 

Conscience,  like  the  eye,  is  devoted  to  one  office  exch/r- 
sivelij.  The  eye  is  designed  and  constituted  simply  to 
receive  impressions  from  light — that  which  comes  to  it 
directly  or  by  reflection  from  any  particular  object,  and 
thereby  to  announce  its  shade  or  color.  To  such  an  ob- 
ject may  belong  many  other  properties;  it  may  be  hard, 
or  heavy,  or  bitter,  or  fragrant;  but  the  eye  says  nothing, 
can  say  nothing  about  these;  its  function  relates  solely 
to  light.  So  conscience ;  this  faculty  deals  only  with  the 
moral  qualities  ot  actions.  A  particular  action  may  be 
viewed  in  various  other  lights;  it  may  be  regarded  as 
clever,  or  foolish,  or  seasonable,  or  polite,  or  uncivil ;  but 
conscience  takes  no  notice  of  such  characteristics ;  it  is 
concerned  only  with  the  right  or  wrong  of  it.  And  in 
pronouncing  its  sentence,  it  takes  no  account  of  incentives 
or  consequences ;   makes  no  inquiry  concerning  the  profit 


170  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

or  pleasure,  applause  or  shame,  that  may  result  from  it. 
Its  simple  and  uncompromising  utterance  is — This  is 
right,  do  it ;  or.  This  is  wrong,  do  it  not,  whatever  may 
follow. 

The  conscience  exercises  its  authority  over  the  whole 
man :  over  all  the  movements  of  his  body  and  mind — his 
actions,  his  words,  his  plans,  his  desires,  his  motives,  and 
even  his  emotions  so  far  as  the  will  consents  to  them. 
The  eye  of  conscience  perpetually  ranges  through  all  the 
interior  activities  of  the  soul;  nothing  escapes  its  notice, 
nor  does  it  behold  a  move  that  it  regards  with  indiffer- 
ence. Its  supervision  is  universal  and  unremitting;  even 
our  sleeping  hours  are  not  exempt  from  its  jurisdiction; 
so  keen  is  its  eye,  and  so  delicate  are  its  balances,  that 
it  condemns  even  the  sinful  dream,  as  it  does  the  sinful 
thought. 

The  decisions  of  conscience,  like  those  of  the  eye,  are 
instantaneous.  As  the  eye  at  once  acquaints  us  with  the 
color  and  shape,  proximity  or  distance  of  the  object  to 
which  it  is  directed,  so  conscience  pronounces  instantly 
upon  the  right  or  wrong  of  an  action  or  course  of  conduct. 
And  this  promptness  of  decision  is  of  vital  importance  in 
both.  The  eye  has  been  constituted  to  inform  us  by  the 
direct  and  quick  method  of  sensation  of  what  is  safe  or 
perilous,  baneful  or  beneficial  to  our  bodies.  If  when  any 
exterior  object  approached  us  we  were  always  obliged  to 
calculate  its  magnitude  and  determine  its  configuration, 
or  to  judge  by  the  laws  of  motion  and  gravitation  and 
reaction  whether  its  approach  would  be  injurious  or 
harmless  to  us,  our  frail  systems,  in  a  multitude  of  cir- 
cumstances, would  be  crushed  and  destroyed  before  we 
could  finish  our  calculation  or  estimate.  Or,  if  it  were 
always  necessary  before  we  took  any  nourishment  to 
analyse  the  aliments  before  us,  to  determine  their  proper- 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  171 

ties  and  effects,  we  should  die  with  hunger  before  we  had 
finished  our  examination.  But  God  has  so  constituted 
our  sense  of  vision  as  to  dispense  with  such  tedious  dis- 
cussions, and  to  give  us  at  once  the  needed  information. 
And  so  it  is  with  conscience.  If  the  morality  or  im- 
morality of  an  action  could  be  determined  only  by  con- 
sulting casuists,  or  the  authority  of  books,  or  systems  of 
political  economy,  where  would  we  land,  or  what  would 
become  of  us  ?  In  numberless  cases,  we  are  called  upon 
to  act  on  the  instant,  and  information  gathered  by  such 
slow  processes  would  come  too  late.  But  the  Creator  has 
so  endowed  the  faculty  of  conscience  as  to  give  its  decision 
without  a  moment's  delay ;  we  have  its  approval  or  dis- 
approval, in  such  cases,  with  the  quickness  of  thought. 
No  sooner  does  the  temptation  to  utter  or  commit  a  wrong 
present  itself  than  conscience  flashes  through  the  mind 
its  condemnation  of  it ;  and  no  sooner  does  the  call  to 
jDcrform  a  virtuous  or  benevolent  deed  sound  in  our  ears 
than  it  diffuses  the  sweet  feeling  of  its  approbation  through 
all  the  sensibilities  of  the  heart. 

The  fiiculty  of  conscience,  like  the  organ  of  vision, 
however,  judges  and  pronounces  according  to  the  degree 
of  light  it  has.  If  an  object  stands  in  full  and  clear  light, 
the  information  of  the  eye  respecting  it  is  correct  and 
reliable;  but  if  the  light  that  falls  upon  it  be  dim  or 
partial,  the  eye  may  err  both  as  to  its  true  color  and 
real  shape.  So  it  is  with  conscience,  or  the  moral  vision ; 
acting  beneath  the  pure  and  perfect  light  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  its  decisions  are  ever  according  to  truth 
and  right;  but  if  destitute  of  this  light,  its  decisions  may 
be  more  or  less  erroneous,  or  even  be  altogether  wrong. 
This,  however,  argues  no  natural  imperfection  in  the 
faculty  itself  A  judge  can  pronounce  sentence  only 
according  to  the  evidence  set  before  him;  if  that  evidence 


172  THE  CELESTIAi  SYMBOL. 

be  false  or  defective,  though  he  be  the  most  righteous 
of  men,- he  may  come  to  a  very  unjust  conclusion;  to 
secure  an  equitable  sentence  from  his  lips,  the  facts  of  the 
case  must  be  fully  and  faithfully  set  before  him.  And 
this  is  equally  true  of  conscience ;  let  it  have  the  pure 
light  of  the  Divine  Law,  and  its  decisions  will  be  infal- 
libly on  the  side  of  rectitude.  It  follows,  therefore,  that 
it  is  no  less  our  duty  to  enlighte7i  conscience  than  to  obey 
its  dictates.  "  No  man  is  at  liberty  to  say,  in  regard  to 
any  given  case,  '  I  am  willing  to  refer  this  matter  to  con- 
science, and  to  abide  by  its  decision,'  without  first  taking 
the  pains  to  lay  the  case  fully  and  fairly  before  conscience, 
the  power  that  is  to  sit  in  judgment  upon  it.  We  might 
as  well  expect  the  judge  in  a  court  of  civil  justice  to  give 
an  upright  decision  without  facts,  without  evidence  and 
without  law,  as  to  expect  a  correct  decision  from  this 
spiritual  judge,  that  exercises  authority  in  the  judgment- 
seat  of  the  soul,  without  a  full  and  fair  presentment  of 
the  facts  by  the  Intellect.  And  when  we  say  it  is  neces- 
sary to  make  a  full  statement  of  the  facts,  we  may  add, 
that  they  are  to  be  stated  not  only  in  themselves,  but 
also  in  their  relations  and  bearings  upon  each  other. 
This  is  one  form  of  moral  training  or  moral  education."* 
As  the  eye  is  an  organ,  so  conscience  is  a  faculty,  com- 
mon to  the  human  race.  This  moral  sense  is  an  essential 
part  of  man's  mental  constitution.  It  is  so  inseparable  a 
part  of  him  that  it  constantly  acts  as  a  mere  instinct,  and 
approves  or  condemns  his  conduct  spontaneously,  as  his 
palate  distinguishes  between  sweet  and  bitter.  In  a  more 
or  less  vigorous  condition,  it  lives  and  acts  in  the  breasts 
of  all  men.  It  may  be  resisted,  it  may  be  weakened,  it 
may  be  silenced,  but  it  cannot  be  extinguished.  Even  in 
the  darkest  regions  of  the  earth  and  among  the  rudest 

*  Upham's  3Iental  Pliilosophy,  p.  422. 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  173 

tribes  of  men,  it  recognizes,  up  to  the  measure  of  its  light, 
a  distinction  between  right  and  wrong,  between  truth 
and  falsehood,  between  justice  and  injustice.  Man,  with- 
out conscience,  would  be  in  as  pitiable  a  condition  morally, 
as  he  would  be  without  the  eye  physically ;  and  the  wis- 
dom and  benevolence  of  the  Creator  in  the  bestowment 
of  the  former  are  not  less  conspicuous  than  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  latter. 

The  moral  sense  is  a  principle  essential  to  all  religion. 
If  men  were  not  endowed  with  conscience  they  would  be 
altogether  incapable  of  religion,  and  could  profit  nothing 
by  divine  revelation.  For,  in  vain  were  their  duty  pre- 
scribed by  the  Scriptures,  in  vain  were  allegiance  required 
of  them  towards  their  Creator,  and  in  vain  were  love  and 
gratitude  enjoined  upon  them  towards  their  Redeemer, 
if  there  was  no  principle  in  them  previously  which  made 
them  feel  the  obligations  of  duty,  of  allegiance  and  of 
love.  They  could  have  no  ideas,  no  sentiments,  corre- 
sponding to  such  terms ;  nor  any  conviction  that,  in- 
dependently of  fear  or  interest,  they  were  bound  to  re- 
gard either  him  who  made  them,  or  him  who  redeemed 
them.  Conscience,  therefore,  is  a  principle  fundamental 
to  all  religion.  As  the  Sun  of  nature  would  arise  and 
shine  in  vain 'for  man  if  he  had  not  been  furnished  with 
the  eye  to  perceive  its  light,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
would  have  risen  in  vain  upon  the  w^orld  of  mankind  if 
thej'  had  not  been  endowed  with  conscience  to  feel  and 
respond  to  the  light  of  truth  which  he  sheds  down  upon 
them. 

Conscience  is  a  witness  for  the  existence  and  presence  of 
God.  Tlie  felt  presence  of  this  judge  of  good  and  evil  in 
the  breast  perpetually  speaks  to  us  of  the  presence  of  him 
who  is  Supreme  Judge  over  all.  It  asserts  the  unremit- 
ting inspection  of  his  omniscient  eye  wdth  a  power  which 


174  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

no  argument  can  parry,  and  with  a  distinctness  which 
no  sophistry  of  lust  or  passion  can  obscure  or  suppress. 
With  its  still  small  voice  it  maintains  and  perpetuates 
amid  all  the  storms  and  turbulence  of  life  this  testimony, 
"  Thou  God  seest  me." 

Again  :  conscience,  by  its  uncompromising  condemna- 
tion of  what  is  wrong  and  approval  of  what  is  right,  is  a 
living  witness  for  the  righteousness  of  God,  and  of  his 
requirements.  If  God  had  been  an  unrighteous  Being 
himself,  he  never  would  have  implanted  such  a  faculty 
in  the  human  mind — never  would  have  given  to  it  so 
distinct  and  authoritative  a  voice  on  the  side  of  right- 
eousness. He  never  would  have  constituted  our  species 
with  this  living  testimony  against  Himself  in  every 
breast.  No :  the  uniform  and  decisive  voice  of  con- 
science for  right  and  against  all  wrong  is  a  decisive 
evidence  for  the  righteousness  of  the  Divine  Character, 
and  an  evidence,  too,  that  keeps  its  ground  amid  all  the 
disorders  and  corruptions  to  which  humanity  is  liable. 
And,  as  the  existence  of  a  regulator  in  a  watch,  however 
poor  a  timekeeper  it  may  have  become,  shows  plainly 
that  the  design  of  its  maker  was  that  the  revolutions  of 
its  hands  should  keep  in  harmony  with  the  daily  revolu- 
tions of  the  Sun ;  so  conscience  shows  with  equal  plain- 
ness that  the  design  of  man's  Maker  is,  that  in  all  his 
movements  he  should  harmonize  with  the  law  of  truth 
and  rectitude.  By  making  conscience  a  part  of  our 
nature,  as  the  regulator  is  a  part  of  the  watch,  arming  it 
with  authority  over  every  other  part  and  power,  by  en- 
listing all  that  authority  on  the  side  of  righteousness, 
and  by  accompanying  its  voice  with  sanctions  for  the 
enforcement  of  its  dictates,  God  has  inscribed  on  the 
tablet  of  every  heart  a  demonstration  of  the  holiness  of 
his  character  and  of  the  justice  of  his  law. 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  ,  I75 

Once  more  :  conscience  gives  assurance  of  a  judgment 
to  come.  While  it  pronounces  the  transgressor  guilty,  it 
never  fails  to  beget  in  him  a  sense  of  merited  punish- 
ment. It  makes  the  criminal  feel,  not  only  that  he  is 
blamable,  but  justly  punishable  for  his  wrong-doing. 
And  this  "sense  of  deserved  punishment,"  says  a  dis- 
criminating writer,  "is  never  separated  from  the  dread 
that,  at  some  time  or  other,  punishment  shall  be  actually 
inflicted.  This  dread  is  not  confined  to  the  vengeance 
of  man.  For  let  the  sinner's  evil  deeds  be  ever  so 
thoroughly  concealed  from  the  knowledge  of  the  world, 
his  inward  alarms  are  not  quieted  by  that  consideration. 
Now  punishment  is  the  sanction  of  a  law.  Every  law 
supposes  a  rightful  superior;  and  therefore,  when  con- 
science threatens  punishment  to  secret  crimes,  it  mani- 
festly recognizes  a  Supreme  Governor,  from  whom  nothing 
is  hidden.  The  belief  of  our  being  accountable  to  him 
is  what  the  most  hardened  wickedness  has  never  been 
able  to  eradicate.  It  is  a  belief  which  arises,  not  merely 
from  reasoning,  but  from  internal  sentiment.  Conscience 
is  felt  to  act  as  the  delegate  of  an  invisible  Ruler;  both 
anticipating  his  sentence,  and  foreboding  its  execution." 
In  this  way  this  faculty  foretells  and  assures  every  living 
man  that  he  must  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of 
God. 

We  see  hence  how  essential  the  office  of  this  faculty 
is  to  all  religion.  Conscience,  which  bears  its  earnest 
testimony  to  all  these  solemn  truths,  like  a  motive  force, 
has  its  place  deep  in  the  mind,  even  at  the  centre  of  our 
intellectual  and  emotional  nature,  and  is  powerful  to  de- 
cide the  Will  and  to  arouse  and  direct  the  Affbctions, 
and  consequently  is  powerful  to  mould  the  whole  life. 
And  it  is  only  by  bringing  the  light  and  energy  of  truth 
to  bear  upon  this  moral  ngent  within  that  we  have  hope 
to  reclaim,  reform  and  save  men  from  their  sins. 


176  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

It  was  by  pouring  his  illuminating  and  quickening 
beams  into  this,  the  eye  of  the  soul,  that  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  ever  sought  to  convince  men  of  the  error 
of  their  ways,  to  inspire  them  with  nobler  motives,  and 
to  raise  them  to  newness  of  life.  And  it  is  both  interest- 
ing and  profitable  to  notice  the  diverse  workings  of  con- 
science under  his  divine  instructions  and  tender  appeals: 
— how  it  aroused  to  fixed  attention  the  most  heedless 
and  grovelling ;  how  it  alarmed  those  that  lived  at  ease ; 
how  it  suffused  with  shame  the  cheek  of  the  hypocritical; 
how  it  moved  and  melted  publicans  and  sinners;  how 
it  compelled  the  self-righteous  to  lay  hold  of  the  arrows 
of  truth  and  press  them  into  their  own  breasts ;  how 
it  rebuked  the  unfaithful  and  condemned  and  scourged 
the  traitorous. 

See  conscience  in  exercise  in  that  poor,  stained,  fallen 
woman,  Mary  of  Magdala !  She  hath  seen  Jesus — she 
hath  heard  his  gracious  wiDrds,  and  conscience  hatli  carried 
them  home  to  her  very  soul.  And  what  a  change  they 
have  wrought  there !  She  longs  to  be  near  the  Holy 
Teacher ;  and  soon  we  see  her,  with  her  box  of  precious 
ointment,  pressing  her  way  toward  him  at  Simon's  feast. 
In  the  sacred  presence,  the  faithful  monitor  within  con- 
trasts her  own  shameful  and  degraded  life  with  his  sin- 
less purity  and  holy  love — her  heart  is  melted  —  she 
begins  to  weep — her  tears  drop  fast  and  hot  upon  his 
unsandalled  feet,  over  which  she  bends  lower  and  lower 
— with  her  long  dishevelled  hair  she-  wipes  them,  and 
in  veiy  love  begins  to  kiss  them,  and  then  bathes  them 
with  the  costly  and  fragrant  nard.  Such  are  the  kindly 
workings  of  conscience  under  the  influence  of  divine  truth 
and  grace. 

Mark  again  the  power  of  this  moral  faculty  over  those 
malicious  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  who  drag  a  surprised 


■"  I 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  179 

transgressor  into  the  temple,  and,  with  brutal  indifference 
to  her  agony,  setting  her  in  the  midst,  demand  of  the 
Saviour  whether  she  should  not  forthwith  be  stoned  for 
her  offence.  The  answer  of  the  Merciful  One  is  brief: 
"  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  cast  the  first 
stone."  It  is  enough.  As  with  a  thunder  peal  it  rever- 
berates through  all  the  dark  recesses  of  their  souls  the 
startling  words.  Thou  that  judg est  another  condemnest  thy- 
self, for  doest  thou  not  the  same  thing?  In  a  moment,  their 
insolent  and  perfidious  countenances  drop  guiltily  to  the 
ground — they  are  whelmed  with  shame.  "And  being 
convicted  by  their  own  Conscience,  they  went  out  one 
by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest,  even  unto  the  last ;  and 
Jesus  was  left  alone,  and  the  woman  standing  in  the 
midst." 

Witness  again  this  inward  monitor  as  it  rebukes  and 
recovers  the  sincere  but  impetuous  Peter.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  faithful  warning  given  him,  Peter  denied  his 
Master,  and  that  with  the  aggravation  of  profanity. 
"And  the  Lord  turned  and  looked  upon  Peter."  That 
look — oh,  like  an  arrow  it  shot  the  anguish  of  its  rebuke 
into  his  inmost  soul ;  and  prostrate  conscience,  seizing 
the  moment,  leaped  to  her  throne  again,  and  again  swayed 
her  sceptre  with  a  power  and  authority  that  allowed  him 
to  heed  no  more  aught  beside — "  he  saw  no  more  ene- 
mies, knew^  no  more  danger,  feared  no  more  death." 
Rushing  for  the  door  and  the  darkness  of  night,  Peter 
■went  out  and  icej^t  hUterly ! 

Behold,  once  more,  the  terrible  power  of  this  vice- 
gerent of  God  in  the  soul  as  displayed  in  the  case  of 
unhappy  Judas.  Having  profmed  his  sacred  cheek  with 
the  villanous  token,  the  injured  Master  calmly  said, 
Judas,  heiraijest  thou  the  Son  of  Man  ivlth  a  liiss?  That 
one  word — it  rouses  and  recovers  his  stupefied  conscience, 


180  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

which,  in  a  moment,  lights  up  his  dark  soul  with  a  sud- 
den and  woful  glare  to  see  the  baseness  and  hideousness 
of  his  crime.  Wretched  traitor !  wnth  feelings  that  the 
very  devils  might  pity,  he  slinks  back  into  the  gloom, 
and  finds  himself  alone  with  his  tormentor.  We  see  no 
more  of  him  till  we  hear  him  shriek  in  the  temple,  "  I 
have  sinned,  in  that  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood." 
Driven  now  by  remorse  into  despair,  and  by  despair  into 
madness,  he  wildly  flings  the  pieces  of  silver  on  the  sacred 
pavement,  and  goes  out  and  hangs  himself! 

Thus,  as  the  Sun  of  nature  finds  in  the  body  an  organ, 
the  eye,  designed  to  receive  and  appreciate  and  employ 
its  light, — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  finds  in  the  soul  a 
faculty,  the  conscience,  designed  and  qualified  to  receive 
his  truth,  and  to  discern  the  right.  And  happy  the  man 
who  hears  and  heeds  her  still  small  voice ;  for  all  her 
ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  are  peace. 
When  we  silence  or  neglect  the  voice  of  this  monitor,  we 
silence  and  neglect  our  best  counsellor,  and  expose  our- 
selves to  the  inevitable  peril  of  proceeding  from  one  error 
to  another,  and  from  one  sin  to  a  second,  till  we  end  our 
career  in  a  gulf  of  wretchedness. 


ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  Sun  of  Nature  conveys  its  light  to  the  eye  through  the  all-pervading 
ether, — so  the  Sun  nf  Itighteousncss  imparts  his  light  to  the  soul  through 
his  Omnipresent  Sinrit. 

Phenomena. 

Light,  the  first  production  of  Creative  Power,  has  ever 
been  a  subject  of  profound  interest  to  reflectini}:  minds. 
From  very  early  times  we  find  men  busy  with  attempts 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  131 

to  render  some  account  of  it.  The  ancient  philosophers, 
thouo;h  often  bewildered  in  their  reasonino;s  concernins: 
it  by  their  metaphysical  subtleties,  could  plainly  see  that 
light  was  an  element  of  the  utmost  importance  to  all 
nature.  They  made  but  little  progress,  however,  in  its 
study  beyond  a  few  simple  and  obvious  facts.  What 
light  was,  or  how  light  was  produced,  were  questions  to 
which  they  could  return  no  satisfactory  answers. 

The  alchemists  of  the  Middle  Ages  regarded  the  lumi- 
nous principle  as  a  most  subtle  fluid,  capable  of  interpene- 
trating and  mingling  with  gross  matter;  gold  they  con- 
ceived differed  from  the  baser  metals  only  in  containing 
a  larger  quantity  of  this  ethereal  element;  and  in  the 
transmutation  of  the  latter  into  the  former  the  solar  light 
was  supposed  to  be  marvellously  efficacious.  But  minds 
taken  up  with  such  idle  fancies  were  little  qualified  to 
investigate  the  real  fiicts  and  phenomena  of  nature. 

About  the  year  1100,  an  Arabian,  named  Alhazen, 
began  a  rational  and  to  some  extent  successful  inquiry 
concerning  the  laws  which  govern  the  reflection  and 
refraction  of  lio-ht.  At  later  dates  the  same  course  of  in- 
quiry  was  taken  up  successively  by  Roger  Bacon,  Vitellio, 
Kepler  and  others.  But  it  was  not  until  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century  that  anything  like  a  scientific  ac- 
count of  this  wondrous  element  was  given  to  the  world, 
when  Newton  put  forth  what  has  been  called  the  Emission 
Theorij  of  light.  This  great  philosopher  conceived  that 
light  consists  of  elastic  particles  of  inconceivable  minute- 
ness shot  forth  in  all  directions  with  inconceivable  swift- 
ness from  the  globe  of  the  Sun,  or  other  luminous  bodies; 
and  that  these,  entering  the  eye  in  a  continuous  flood, 
produced  therein  the  impression  of  light.  But  this 
theory,  beautiful  as  it  was,  and  serving  to  give  a  satis- 
factory account  of  so  many  of  the  phenomena  of  light  as 


182  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

it  did,  was  not  adequate  to  account  for  all,  and  thus  was 
beset  ere  long  by  many  and  serious  objections. 

Huyghens,  a  contemporary  of  Newton,  and  a  man  of 
distinguished  intellectual  powers,  finding  great  diffi- 
culty in  conceiving  this  incessant  cannonade  of  particles, 
and  in  realizing  that  they  could  shoot  with  such  incon- 
ceivable velocity  through  space,  and  yet  not  disturb  each 
other,  sought  for  some  other  theory  of  explanation  that 
M'ould  be  more  satisfactory.  The  manner  in  which  sound 
is  produced,  and  conveyed  to  the  ear,  led  him  step  by  step 
to  the  conception  that  light,  possibly,  was  produced  and 
conveyed  by  similar  means  and  in  a  similar  way,  namely 
by  vibrations.  Upon  this  conception  he  labored  until  it 
matured  into  what  has  been  known  ever  since  as  the 
Undulatory  Theory.  This  theory  soon  found  supporters, 
among  the  most  distinguished  of  whom  was  Euler,  But 
to  Dr.  Thomas  Young,  Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy 
in  the  Royal  Institute  of  Great  Britain,  belongs  the  im- 
mortal honor  of  establishing  this  theory  on  a  safe  and 
enduring  basis.  The  claims  of  the  Undulatory  Theory 
were  strenuously  contested  for  a  long  time  by  the  ad- 
herents of  that  of  Newton  ;  every  point  and  principle 
was  thoroughly  sifted  and  discussed ;  but  before  ever  in- 
creasing evidence  brought  to  light  by  Fresnel  and  others 
in  its  favor,  all  objections  had  to  give  way;  and  now  the 
theory  of  Undulation  is  universally  accepted  as  the  true 
one.  A  few  words  will  suffice  to  state  and  explain  its 
general  principles. 

If  a  pebble  be  dropped  into  the  bosom  of  a  smooth 
sheet  of  water,  it  will  generate  a  succession  of  circular 
Wiives,  extending  wider  and  wider,  till  they  strike  against 
the  surrounding  bank.  In  these  waves  there  is  no  actual 
motion  of  the  water;  they  are  only  adranchx)  forms; 
this  is  readily  proved  by  throwing  upon  the  surface  a  few 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  183 

light  chips;  these  will  not  be  carried  forward  with  the 
waves,  as  they  certainly  would  be  if  the  water  was  actually 
in  motion;  they  will  simply  rise  and  sink  at  the  same 
spot.  The  waves  produced  by  the  pebble  are  like  the 
waves  seen  to  sweep  over  a  field  of  growing  wheat,  where 
not  a  straw  forsakes  its  place. 

Similar  waves,  though  invisible,  are  created  in  the 
atmosphere  when  a  bell  is  struck,  or  the  chords  of  a 
piano  are  touched,  or  a  word  is  uttered.  These  aerial 
waves  or  vibrations,  like  those  in  the  water,  extend  in  all 
directions,  vertically  as  well  as  laterally;  and  when  in 
their  outward  progress  they  strike  upon  the  drum  of  the 
ear  they  produce  a  corresponding  vibration  in  that,  which 
by  a  chain  of  marvellous  contrivances  is  conducted  to 
the  brain,  and  there  awaken  the  sense  or  impression  of 
sound.  Tiie  length  and  frequency  of  these  vibrations 
determine  the  pitch  of  the  sound ;  rapid  vibrations  give 
a  hisxh  note,  slower  vibrations  a  lower  note.  Thus  sound 
has  the  air  for  its  medium;  where  there  is  no  air  there 
can  be  no  sound. 

Now,  light  is  produced  and  transmitted  in  a  similar 
manner,  namely,  by  vibrations  or  undulations,  not  in  the 
atmosphere  which  extends  but  a  few  miles  from  the 
earth's  surface,  but  in  a  medium  of  its  own,  called  the 
Luminiferous  Ether.  This  medium  is  among  the  most 
marvellous  and  incomprehensible  elements  in  nature,  yet 
an  element  whose  existence  and  agency  are  now  well 
established.  "Close  examination  of  the  phenomena  of 
light;  by  the  most  refined'  and  demonstrative  ex- 
periments," says  Tyndall,  "has  led  philosophers  to  the 
conclusion  that  space  is  occupied  by  a  substance  almost 
infinitely  elastic."  It  is,  moreover,  infinitely  extended; 
it  fills  all  space,  even  the  most  distant  regions  of  the 
stars  and  nebulae.     The  visible  creation  is  afloat  in  it,  and 


184  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

permeated  by  it.  It  connects  and  constitutes  all  the 
globes  and  all  the  matter  which  make  up  the  universe 
into  one  related  whole.  It  is  a  bond  of  union,  and  a 
medium  of  interaction  and  intercommunication  between 
its  most  distant  members.  Nor  is  this  all,  this  subtle 
substance  penetrates  all  material  bodies,  even  the  hardest 
and  most  compact;  it  surrounds  the  very  atoms  of  all 
solids  and  liquids.  Its  presence  is  excluded  from  no  place, 
no  substance. 

Now,  heat  being  "a  mode  of  motion,"  and  the  Sun  be- 
ing an  intensely  heated  globe,  its  atoms  are  in  perpetual 
vibration,  and  this  vibration  creates  a  corresponding 
motion,  or  minute  waves,  in  the  luminiferous  ether  which 
enwraps  its  whole  sphere;  and  these  waves,  travelling 
outward  in  all  directions  with  inconceivable  velocity,  pre- 
sently reach  the  earth,  and  entering  the  pupil  of  the  eye, 
pass  through  its  lenses,  and  impinge  upon  the  retina;  and 
the  motion  which  the  retina  thus  receives  is  transmitted 
along  the  optic  nerve  to  the  brain,  "where  it  announces 
itself  to  consciousness  as  lights  In  the  same  way  every 
visible  star,  and  every  luminous  body,  excites  waves  in 
the  luminiferous  ether,  and  produces  its  impression  of 
light  in  the  brain.  And  bodies  that  are  not  heated 
or  luminous  become  visible  by  reflecting  to  the  eye  the 
ether  waves  that  fall  upon  them. 

Let  not  the  reader  who  may  be  unfiimiliar  with  such 
scientific  subjects  regard  this  explanation  of  light  as  a 
mere  creation  of  the  imagination ;  for  every  step  in  it  is 
founded  on  demonstrated  fact.  The  ethereal  waves  are 
as  real  as  those  upon  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  their 
impingement  upon  the  retina  is  as  truly  mechanical  as  the 
stroke  of  the  water-waves  upon  the  shore.  Though  these 
ether  waves  have  never  been  seen  by  human  eyes,  yet 
their  length  and  rapidity  have  been  calculated  with  reliable 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  185 

exactness.  Their  existence  is  proved  by  their  effects, 
and  from  their  effects  their  lengths  have  been  deduced. 
This,  we  may  add,  has  been  done  in  many  ways,  and 
when  the  results  of  the  different  methods  have  been 
compared,  they  have  been  found  to  agree  to  the  strictest 
■nicety. 

The  science  of  light  has  gone  further,  and  proved  that, 
as  the  pitch  of  sound  is  determined  by  the  length  and 
frequency  of  the  aerial  waves,  so  our  sense  or  impression 
of  light  is  produced  by  the  differing  length  and  rapidity 
of  the  ether  waves.  The  white  light  of  the  Sun,  as 
stated  in  a  previous  chapter  (Part  II.,  An.  II.),  is  a  com- 
pound of  every  possible  shade  of  color.  If  an  object 
reflects  or  sends  back  the  sunli";ht  unchansjed  in  its  rate 
of  vibration  it  appears  ichite ;  but  if  the  surface  of  that 
object  has  the  property  of  altering  the  vibration  into 
longer  or  shorter  waves,  the  result  will  be  that  it  will 
appear  of  a  color  corresponding  to  that  rate — it  may  be 
violet,  or  red,  or  blue;  or,  if  it  is  endowed  with  the 
property  of  annihihiting  the  vibration,  the  result  will  be 
blackness.  "The  shortest  waves  of  the  visible  spectrum 
are  those  of  the  extreme  violet;  the  longest,  those  of  the 
extreme  red ;  while  the  other  colors  are  of  intermediate 
pitch  or  wave-length.  The  length  of  a  wave  of  the 
extreme  red  is  such,  that  it  would  require  36,918  of  them 
placed  end  to  end  to  cover  one  inch ;  while  64,631  of  the 
extreme  violet  waves  w^ould  be  required  to  span  the  same 
distance. 

"  Now,  the  velocity  of  light,  in  round  numbers,  is 
190,000  miles  per  second.  Reducing  this  to  inches,  and 
multiplying  the  number  thus  found  by  36,918,  we  obtain 
the  number  of  waves  of  the  extreme  red  in  190,000 
miles.  All  these  waves  enter  the  eye,  and  hit  tJte  retina  at 
the  back  of  the  eye  in  one  second.     The  number  of  shocks 

12 


186  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

per  second  necessary  to  the  production  of  the  impression 
of  red  is,  therefore,  four  hundred  and  fifly-one  milliona 
of  millions!  In  a  similar  manner,  it  may  be  found  that 
the  number  of  shocks  corresponding  to  the  impression  of 
violet  is  seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine  millions  of 
millions.  All  space  is  filled  with  matter  oscillating  at 
such  rates.  From  every  star  waves  of  these  dimensions 
move  with  the  velocity  of  light  like  spherical  shells  out- 
wards." * 

Such  is  the  marvellous  system  of  means  through  which 
we  derive  the  pleasure  and  inestimable  advantages  of 
light.  Let  us  pause  for  a  moment  and  reflect  upon  it. 
There  is  the  Sun,  far  distant  in  the  heavens,  a  globe  of 
stupendous  magnitude,  whose  atoms  all  are  kept  in  per- 
petual vibration  by  its  intense  and  glowing  heat. 
Encompassing  it  on  every  side,  and  pervading  all  space, 
is  the  infinitely  elastic  ether,  adapted  to  receive  and 
transmit  these  vibrations  with  the  swiftness  of  lightning 
over  distances  that  can  be  measured  only  by  millions  on 
millions  of  miles.  And  here  is  man  on  the  earth, 
furnished  with  the  eye,  an  optical  instrument  most 
admirably  constructed  and  adapted  to  receive  and  collect 
these  swift-winged  waves  of  ether,  at  any  moment  he 
may  wish  to  employ  it.  And  behind  this,  again,  is  the 
brain,  a  nervous  organ,  qualified  in  a  manner  surpassing 
all  thou<i:ht  and  investigation  to  distinszuish  the  multi- 
tudinous  impressions  conveyed  to  it,  and  announce  to  the 
indwelling  mind  the  form  and  color  of  the  objects  from 
which  they  all  proceed.  Who  can  contemplate  all  this 
and  not  feel  himself  impelled  to  ask,  whence  these  con- 
nections and  adaptations  of  things  in  the  heavens  and 
things  in  the  earth  ?  Whence  this  marvellous  relation 
and  fitness  of  the   solar  globe   to  the   viewless  ether? 


*  Tyndall's  Lectures  on  Light,  p.  54. 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  187 

Whence  this  wealth  of  contrivances  in  the  eye,  and  this 
inscrutable  sensibility  in  the  brain?  And  all  that  we 
might  be  enabled  to  discern  the  things  that  pertain  to 
our  welfare,  to  see  the  landscape  robed  in  the  splendor  of 
colors,  and  to  behold  the  heavens  garnished  with  their 
thousand  worlds  of  glory.  Whence  ? — whence  but  from 
a  Being  of  infinite  power  and  wisdom  and  love?  "0 
Lord  God,  thou  art  wonderful  in  counsel,  and  excellent 
in  working!  Thou  doest  great  things  past  finding  out; 
yea,  and  wonders  without  number." 

Teachings. 

If  the  arrangement  of  means  by  which  the  Sun  of 
nature  conveys  its  light  to  the  outward  man  is  thus 
worthy  of  our  admiration  and  praise,  much  more  the 
Divine  Scheme  throuiih  which  the  Sun  of  RiGrhteousness 
imparts  his  light  to  the  inward  man.  What  the  lumi- 
niferous  ether  is  in  the  system  of  nature,  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  in  the  system  of  the  grace  of  God,  but  in  an  in- 
finitely higher  and  more  important  sense.  The  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  Sacred  Medium  through  whom  we  receive  all 
spiritual  light.  Man  in  his  natural  state  is  in  darkness,  is, 
indeed,  blind.  He  seeth  not,  understandeth  not,  receiveth 
not  the  truth  of  God  ;  spiritual  things  being  spiritually  dis- 
cerned. The  things  of  God  knoweth  no  man  but  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  It  is  the  Spirit  that  givcth  light,  and  it  is 
the  Spirit  that  giveth  life.  It  is  the  Spirit  that  effectually 
teaches  us  all  things  pertaining  to  life  and  godliness;  not 
by  a  new  or  special  revelation,  but  by  illuminating  the 
QyQ^  of  our  understanding  to  apprehend  the  one  revelation 
given  to  all.  It  is  the  Spirit  that  gives  the  light  wliereby 
men  are  convinced  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg- 
ment. It  is  the  Spirit  that  reveals  God  in  Christ 
reconciling    the    world   unto   himself.      In  a  word,   the 


188  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Holy  Spirit  is  the  Sacred  Medium  through  whom  all 
spiritual  illumination  and  all  gracious  influences  come 
to  man. 

Now,  of  the  office  of  the  Spirit  in  the  system  of  grace, 
of  his  agency  in  enlightening,  quickening  and  sanctifying 
men,  the  whole  compass  of  creation  affords  no  more  apt, 
or  instructive,  or  beautiful  illustration  than  the  luminif- 
erous  ether. 

The  luminiferous  ether  aptly  typifies  the  Omnipresence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  ether,  as  we  have  just  stated, 
is  all-pervading,  occupying  all  space,  penetrating  all  bodies, 
and  embracing  all  the  atoms  of  matter  that  make  up  the 
universe.  Man  finds  himself  surrounded  and  embraced 
by  it  whithersoever  he  goes.  Let  him  in  the  dead  of 
night,  or  in  the  depths  of  a  cave,  but  ignite  a  match  or 
strike  a  spark,  and  instantly  it  manifests  its  presence  by 
vibrating  their  light  in  every  direction.  In  short,  he 
cannot  go  where  it  is  not.  So  the  Holy  Spirit  is  every- 
where present — filling  immensity,  present  throughout  the 
world,  omniscient  and  active  in  every  place,  and  near 
to  man  wherever  he  may  dwell,  whether  amid  Green- 
land's icy  mountains,  or  on  India's  coral  strand  ;  whether 
in  the  crowded  city,  or  in  the  lonely  desert,  or  afar  off' 
upon  the  sea.  He  attends  the  footsteps  of  the  exile  in 
his  banishment,  and  abides  with  the  prisoner  in  his 
dungeon.  He  sees  the  tear  of  sorrow  as  it  falls  in  secret, 
and  hears  the  whisper  of  devotion  as  it  rises  in  the  soul. 
O  divine  and  holy  Spirit!  "thou  knowest  my  down- 
sitting  and  mine  uprising,  thou  understandest  my  thought 
afar  off".  Thou  compassest  my  path  and  my  Ij'ing  down, 
and  art  acquainted  with  all  my  ways."  Nor  can  I 
escape  thy  notice  if  I  would ;  for  "  whither  shall  I  go 
from  thy  Spirit?  or  wliither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence? 
If  I   ascend   up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there  :  if  I  make 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  189 

my  bed  in  hell,  behold  thou  art  there.  If  I  take  the 
wings  of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  sea,  even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy 
right  hand  shall  hold  me.  If  I  say,  surely  the  darkness 
shall  cover  me  ;  even  the  night  shall  be  light  about  me. 
Yea,  the  darkness  liideth  not  from  thee;  but  the  night 
shineth  as  the  day  :  the  darkness  and  the  light  are  both 
alike  to  thee." 

As  the  Sun  had  been  created  in  vain  had  there  been 
no  luminiferous  ether  to  transmit  its  light  and  heat  to 
the  earth,  so  Christ  had  taught  and  suffered  and  died  in 
vain  hut  for  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  apjilying  the 
great  salvation.  But  for  the  ether,  our  world  would  have 
been  a  dark  and  cold  and  lifeless  waste.  The  Sun  might 
have  been  formed  and  poised  in  the  heavens,  and  be  all 
that  it  now  is,  a  2:lobe  of  maiynificent  dimensions  and 
fervent  heat ;  and  the  eye  of  man  might  have  been  all 
that  it  now  is,  a  perfect  optical  instrument  connected  with 
a  perfectly  sound  brain ;  yet,  if  there  had  been  no  ether 
medium  to  transmit  the  Sun's  vibrations  to  the  eye,  we 
should  have  been  in  darkness  as  profound  and  unrelieved 
as  if  neither  Sun  nor  eye  had  an  existence.  It  is  the 
invisible  and  elastic  ether  that  conveys  to  us  all  the  bene- 
fits that  we  derive  from  the  great  solar  orb.  And  so  it 
is  the  Holy  Spirit  that  conveys  to  us  all  the  benefits  that 
we  receive  and  enjoy  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 
Without  the  Spirit's  agency  we  should  be  nothing  profited 
by  his  redeeming  work,  all  perfect  and  complete  as  it  is. 
The  Son  of  God  might  have  assumed  our  nature,  and 
might  have  done  all  he  accomplished;  he  might  have 
delivered  all  the  lessons  of  his  gospel  for  our  instruction, 
and  manifested  all  the  love  and  compassion  that  he  dis- 
played, and  have  undergone  all  the  agonies  of  the  garden 
and  the  death  of  the  cross  ;  and  man  might  have  been 


190  THE    CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

a  guilty  and  condemned  sinner  as  he  is,  and  thus  be  in 
perisliing  need  of  the  salvation  thus  wrought  out; — ^yet, 
if  the  Holy  Spirit  did  not  exercise  his  gracious  ministry, 
and  apply  the  truth  and  the  blood  of  atonement  to  the 
souls  of  men,  all  would  have  availed  nothing,  and  Christ 
had  died  in  vain.  Men  in  their  darkness  would  have 
seen  no  form  or  comeliness  in  the  Saviour  that  they 
should  desire  him ;  yea,  in  their  love  of  the  world,  and 
under  the  dominion  of  their  lusts,  they  would  have 
despised  and  rejected  him,  and  turned  from  him  with  cool 
and  callous  indifference. 

Such  are  men  become  through  the  corruption  that  is  in 
them,  through  the  blinding  and  hardening  influence  of 
sin,  that,  apart  from  the  gracious  influences  of  the  Spirit, 
nothing  in  the  divine  teaching  or  holy  example  of  Christ, 
nothing  in  the  tender  pity  or  unparalleled  love  he  dis- 
played for  them,  nothing  in  the  mortal  agonies  or  the 
dreadful  death  he  endured  on  their  behalf,  will  move  or 
persuade  them  to  come  to  him  that  they  may  be  saved. 
"  Their  hearts  are  so  hard,  their  minds  are  so  blind,  that 
the  Saviour  might  have  prolonged  his  groans  to  the  end  of 
time,  and  the  rocks — the  hard  rocks  of  Jerusalem,  might 
have  burst,  and  the  firm  granite  of  the  everlasting  hills 
been  dashed  to  powder,  but  still  the  sinner's  heart  would 
have  been  unmoved  by  all  his  groans;  and  the  race  would 
have  been  giddy  in  pleasure,  and  immersed  in  business, 
and  grasping  for  honor  unmoved.  And,  had  the  darkness 
of  that  unnatural  night  when  he  died,  been  prolonged  to 
the  present  time;  and  had  it  been  still  whispered  in 
every  breeze,  and  heard  in  every  echo,  that  the  Son  of 
God  was  yet  suffering  for  men,  and  crying  in  the  bitterness 
of  a  dying  soul,  Mij  God!  my  God!  why  hast  thou  for- 
salcen  me?  still  not  one  solitary  human  heart  would,  of 
itself,  care  thac  there  was  no  sorrow  like  to  his  sorrow. 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  191 

From  this  scene  the  world  would  turn  in  cool  contempt. 
They  would  reject  the  plan.  They  would  not  come  to 
Christ  that  they  might  have  life."  * 

It  is  through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  through 
this  alone,  that  man  becomes  personally  interested  in  the 
great  salvation.  It  is  the  Spirit  that  reveals  to  him  his 
danger  and  his  need  of  the  Saviour.  It  is  the  Spirit  that 
by  his  secret  and  silent  influence  softens  his  heart  into 
penitence  and  draws  him  to  that  Saviour.  It  is  the  Spirit 
that  reflfenerates  and  sanctifies  his  soul ;  that  guides  and 
comforts  him,  that  upholds  and  strengthens  him,  and 
enables  him  to  continue  faithful  unto  the  end.  In  a  word, 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  divine  medium  that  conveys  into 
his  heart  all  the  benefits  and  blessings  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 

Admirable  and  abundant  as  are  the  arrangements  of 
nature  to  illuminate  the  whole  world,  yet  it  is  optional 
with  every  individual  whether  he  will  admit  or  exclude 
the  light.  The  Sun  may  glow  and  vibrate  in  all  his 
strength,  and  the  ether  may  convey  swiftly  down  its 
warm  and  luminous  pulsations,  but  it  is  left  to  his  own 
will  and  pleasure  to  decide  whether  he  will  open  his  eyes 
and  receive  the  light,  or  close  his  lids  and  remain  in 
darkness.  So  it  is  in  regard  to  the  light  that  comes  from 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness — spiritual  light.  It  is  a  matter 
oi  choice  with  every  man  whether  he  will  open  his  mind 
and  heart  to  admit  this  light,  or  close  them  and  reject  it. 
As  the  ether  waves  will  not  batter  through  or  pierce 
their  way  into  the  closed  eye,  so  neither  will  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  Light  force  a  passage  into  the  unwilling  soul. 
But,  "  if  any  man  will  open  the  door,  he  will  come  in." 
The  Spirit  may  be  resisted,  may  be  grieved,  may  be 
quenched.     He  may  be  shut  out  of  the  heart  as  effectu- 


•Rev.  Albert  Barnes,  in  sermon,  The  Way  of  Salvation. 


X92  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ally  as  light  from  the  eye.  And,  sad  to  state,  multitudes 
there  are  who  do  this.  Hence  the  Saviour's  complaint — 
"  This  people's  heart  is  waxed  gross,  and  their  ears  dull 
of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  iliey  have  closed,  lest  at  any  time 
they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears, 
and  understand  with  their  heart,  and  should  be  converted, 
and  I  should  heal  them."  Religion  from  first  to  last,  is 
a  matter  of  choice.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  nature,  and 
it  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Bible — "choose  ye  this  day  whom 
ye  will  serve."  It  is  moreover  the  doctrine  of  experience; 
for  every  one  that  walks  in  the  path  of  light  is  conscious, 
and  is  ready  to  testify,  that  he  does  so  freely  and  by 
choice;  and  every  one  that  walks  in  the  dark  road  is 
just  as  voluntary  in  the  course  he  is  pursuing,  and  if  ever 
he  forsake  it,  it  will  be  because  he  will  choose  to  do  so. 
There  is  indeed  truth,  yes,  and  glory,  too,  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  Spirit's  influence,  but  that  does  not  interfere  at  all 
with  man's  freedom ;  it  leaves  him  with  the  full  power 
of  choice,  and  with  all  the  responsibility  of  a  moral 
agent. 

There  is  much  that  is  to  us  inexplicable  and  mysterious 
connected  with  both  the  agency  of  the  luminiferous 
medium  and  with  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  but 
these  mysteries  offer  no  just  reason  for  disbelieving  and  re- 
jecting either  the  one  or  the  other.  Yet  men  there  are  who, 
claiming  superior  discernment,  proudly  and  summarily 
discard  the  doctrine  of  the  Spirit's  agency  in  enlightening 
and  renewing  the  soul,  because  it  involves  what  is  to 
them  incomprehensible,  or  mysterious.  If  the  existence 
of  mystery  offered  sufficient  grounds  for  rejecting  any 
doctrine  of  nature  or  of  grace,  our  creed  would  be  quickly 
reduced  within  very  narrow  limits  indeed;  for  what  is 
there  that  has  not  its  mysteries?  An  insect's  wing,  a 
blade  of  grass,  a  drop  of  water,  or  a  grain  of  sand  em- 


FOUl^TAIN   OF  LIGHT.  195 

braces  mysteries  which  have  baffled  the  proudest  efforts 
of  human  intellect  to  explain.  The  very  nature  and 
existence  of  the  luminiferous  ether  are  mysteries;  it  is  a 
mystery  how  it  can  transmit  its  waves  with  such  incon- 
ceivable swiftness;  it  is  a  mystery  how  difference  in  the 
length  of  these  waves  can  produce  the  impression  of  dif- 
ferent colors  ;  it  is  a  mystery  how  the  vibrations  produced 
by  these  waves  in  the  material  organ  of  the  brain  can 
awaken  the  sense  of  liglit  in  the  immaterial  mind ; — 
yet  all  these  mysteries  together  offer  no  valid  ground  to 
doubt  its  existence  or  its  undulations,  for  both  are  proved 
by  their  effects.  The  same  holds  true  of  the  operations 
of  the  Spirit.  The  manner  in  which  this  Divine  Agent 
influences  the  human  soul  is,  indeed,  a  great  mystery. 
How  he  can  change  the  whole  bent  and  disposition  of 
the  mind,  and  not  interfere  with  the  freedom  of  the  will, 
is  what  w^e  are  not  able  to  explain  or  understand ;  but  he 
does  so  as  certainly  as  the  undulations  of  the  ether  banish 
darkness  and  kindle  light,  without  interfering  with  the 
action  of  one  law  of  nature. 

Take  another  instance.  The  whole  science  of  astron- 
omy— the  science  of  exact  mathematics — is  built  upon 
a  mystery.  Much  has  been  discovered,  and  much  has 
been  demonstrated  in  this  science.  The  magnitudes,  the 
distances  and  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  have 
been  calculated,  and  these  calculations  have  been  a 
thousand  times  verified  by  the  accomplishment  of  the 
revolutions,  eclipses  and  conjunctions  of  those  bodies  at 
the  exact  moment  computed.  But  these  wonderful  com- 
putations all  are  based  upon  a  mystery,  a  mystery  to 
which  a  name,  indeed,  has  been  given ;  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
called  it  Gravitation.  But  what  is  gravitation?  and  why 
should  matter  have  gravitation  I  No  man  can  tell.  This 
is  a  mystery — an  insoluble   mystery.     But  where  v>ould 


196  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

be  the  philosophy,  where  would  be  the  common  sense  of 
the  man  that  would  cast  aside  or  deny  all  tho  sublime 
fiicts  which  this  science  has  brought  to  light  and  estab- 
lished, because  it  is  connected  with  a  mystery  ?  Why 
then  deal  with  the  doctrines  of  religion  in  this  way  ? 

But  not  to  dwell  on  themes  so  lofty — we  ourselves  are 
so  many  bundles  of  mj-steries.  Who  that  has  studied  his 
own  constitution  of  body  or  mind  but  must  repeat  the 
exclamation:  "Behold,  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made!"  The  metaphysician  studies  the  human  mind, 
and  pushes  his  inquiries  into  all  the  intellectual  powers 
and  emotional  sensibilities  of  its  constitution;  and  the 
anatomist  dissects  the'  human  body,  and  examines  its 
parts  and  functions,  its  brain  and  ganglia,  its  nerves  and 
fluids;  and  each  makes  important  aiid  interesting  dis- 
coveries; but  both  ever  and  anon  reach  a  point  where 
they  are  equally  baflled — the  union  of  mind  a^.d  matter, 
and  the  power  of  the  one  over  the  other.  Here  is  a  mys- 
tery. Who  can  solve  it?  Where  is  the  metaphysician 
that  hath  ever  explained  the  action  of  mind  upon  matter, 
and  the  ready  movements  of  flesh  and  bone,  at  the  secret 
bidding  of  the  mysterious  spirit  dwelling  within  ?  Or, 
where  is  the  anatomist  who  hath  laid  bare  that  spirit,  or 
with  his  searching  knife  traced  out  its  points  of  impact 
and  influence  upon  our  material  system?  No;  there  is 
here  a  mystery.  And  we  repeat  our  question,  where 
would  be  the  philosophy  or  the  reason  of  the  man  who 
would  reject  both  these  branches  of  human  science,  be- 
cause when  pursued  up  to  a  certain  point  they  land  him 
in  a  region  of  mystery,  or  bring  him  to  facts  which  he 
cannot  und'.'rstand  or  explain? 

If.  th(}n,  all  the  departments  of  human  scien(;e  are  thus 
conncet'Ml  with  mysteries  on  every  side,  and  if  no  man 
of  sound   mind  deems  the  existence  of  such  mysteries  a 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  197 

valid  reason  for  rejecting  these  sciences  as  so  many  de- 
lusions, why  should  mystery  be  urged  as  a  reason  for 
disbelieving  and  discarding  the  science  of  Divine  Truth 
and  Grace — the  science  of  all  sciences?  Why,  it  is  pre- 
cisely here,  if  anywhere,  we  should  expect  to  meet  with 
mysteries ;  for  if  we  are  not  able  to  understand  the  action 
of  our  own  mind  upon  our  own  body,  much  less  are  we 
qualified  to  comprehend  the  operations  of  the  Eternal 
Holy  Spirit  in  enlightening  and  regenerating  the  fallen 
and  depraved  soul  of  man. 

But  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  like  the  undula- 
tions of  the  luminiferous  ether,  are  loroved  hy  tlieir  effects. 
The  Ether  is.  an  element  altogether  beyond  the  reach  of 
our  senses ;  we  can  neither  see,  nor  hear,  nor  feel  its  vibra- 
tions; yet  we  are  well  assured  of  their  existence  and  action 
by  their  effects,  which  are  nothing  less  tiian  the  ocean  of 
light  which  fills  the  concave  of  the  heavens,  and  robes 
the  earth  in  its  vestments  of  endlessly  varied  colors.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  of  his  gracious  agency. 
No  man  hath  seen  the  Spirit  at  any  time,  nor  heard  his 
approach  to  the  heart  he  designs  to  renew  and  sanctify ; 
but  we  are  fully  assured  of  his  presence  and  working  in 
that  heart  by  the  effects  wrought,  effects  concerning 
whose  reality  there  can  be  no  more  doubt  than  about 
the  reality  of  the  light  of  day,  or  of  the  colors  of  the 
flowers  of  the  field.  As  an  example  and  illustration  of 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  hearts  of  sinners, 
see  that  aspiring  young  Rabbi,  brought  up  at  the  feet 
of  Gamaliel;  a  man  of  keen  sight  and  vigorous  intellect; 
zealous  for  the  Law  as  Shammai,  and  learned  as  Ilillel  in 
all  the  traditions  of  the  elders;  the  friend  of  the  j)riests 
and  the  commissioner  of  the  Sanhedrim;  burning  with 
wrath  toward  the  infant  cause  of  Jesus,  and  breathing 
out  threatenings   and   slaughter   against  all   his  humble 


198  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

adherents ;  a  man  who  regarded  with  unutterable  horror 
and  disgust  the  very  idea  of  accepting  as  the  Messiah  hira 
who  had  been  hanged  on  a  tree.  See  him  advance  to- 
ward Damascus  in  his  mad  and  murderous  career;  as  he 
nears  the  city,  he  is  suddenly  arrested — is  wrapped  in  a 
sheet  of  brightness  without,  and  illumined  as  with  the 
noonday  light  within !  He  falls  to  the  earth.  The 
despised  Nazarene  speaks  to  him ;  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
reveals  him  as  the  Son  of  God.  A  total  change  passes 
over  him.  He  arises  from  the  ground  a  new  and  another 
man.  He  fell  an  enemy,  he  rises  a  friend.  He  fell  a 
proud  and  intolerant  Pharisee,  he  rises  an  humble  and 
penitent  Christian.  Another  life  and  another  spirit  have 
been  implanted  within  him.  From  being  the  persecutor 
and  murderer  of  the  followers  of  Jesus  lie  becomes  him- 
self a  disciple — becomes  an  Apostle  of  the  faith  which 
erewhile  lie  sought  to  destroy.  And  soon  we  behold  him, 
willingly,  joj-fully,  forsake  the  friendship  of  the  rich  for 
the  society  of  the  impoverished,  a  condition  of  ease  and 
honor  for  a  life  of  unrequited  toil,  the  prospect  of  fame 
for  the  certainty  of  disgrace,  and  the  enjoyment  of  com- 
petency for  the  suffering  of  cold  and  nakedness  and  hunger 
and  thirst, — '•  accountinor  all  thinii's  but  loss  for  the  ex- 
cellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord."  Yea, 
we  see  him  go  through  the  world — go  through  perils  and 
privations  and  sufferings,  with  his  eye,  in  transport  of  joy, 
riveted  upon  what  was  once  to  him  the  symbol  of  shame, 
exclaiming:  "God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the 
cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  I  am  crucified 
to  the  world,  and  the  world  unto  me!" — What  a  change 
have  we  here!  What  a  translation  from  darkness  to 
light!  What  a  conversion  of  the  lion  into  the  lamb! 
How  amazing  the  difTercnce  between  the  persecuting 
Pharisee  and  the  devoted  Apostle !     Is  not  this  a  new 


FOUNTAIN   OF    LIGHT.  199 

creature — a  new  creation?  Do  not  the  effects  produced 
demonstrate  the  character  of  the  Cause?  Can  we  any 
more  doubt  that  the  regeneration  of  this  man  was  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  than  that  the  illumination  of  the 
firmament  is  the  work  of  the  Sun?     Assuredly,  no. 

Paul's  case,  however,  wonderful  as  it  is,  is  by  no  means 
singular  or  solitary.  In  every  land,  and  in  every  age, 
the  same  gracious  change  has  been  witnessed  in  multi- 
tudes whom  no  man  can  number.  And  when  in  our  own 
day,  and  among  our  own  acquaintances,  we  see  the 
thoughtless  and  giddy  become  devoutly  serious ;  the 
profme  become  prayerful;  the  lascivious,  pure;  the 
selfish  and  avaricious,  liberal  and  benevolent;  the 
vicious,  moral  and  religious ;  the  proud  and  passionate 
and  quarrelsome,  meek  and  mild  and  gentle ;  when  we 
see  such  changes,  as  we  often  do,  have  we  not  as  clear 
evidence  to  believe  that  they  are  the  operations  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  as  we  have  to  believe  in  the  action  of  the 
wind,  when  we  behold  the  trees  bend  and  sway,  or  the 
waters  roll  in  billows,  or  the  clouds  careering  across  our 
sky,  though  we  cannot  see  it,  neither  tell  whence  it  com- 
eth  nor  whither  it  goeth  ?  As  the  wind  is  known  by  its 
effects,  so  the  Spirit  by  his  fruits. 


ANALOGY   VI. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Nature  cannot  fall  upon  any  earthhj  substance 
tcithout  producing  in  it  a  change,  chemical  or  mechanical — so  the  light 
of  the  Sun  of  EiglUeousness  cannot  shine  upon  any  human  soul  without 
affecting  it  either  for  life  or  death. 

Phenomena. 

In  the  estimation  of  the  generality  of  mankind  the  sun- 
light is  sunlight,  and  nothing  more.     It  statedly  illumines 


200  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

and  pleasantly  warms  the  world  around  them,  and  that  is 
about  all  they  know,  or  care  to  know,  about  it.  Con- 
cerning its  deeper  functions  and  all-affecting  influence  in 
the  system  of  creation  they  have  never  inquired.  Its 
great  but  hidden  agencies  have  never  occupied  their 
thouglits  for  an  hour.  They  notice  no  marked  change 
passing  over  the  aspect  of  nature,  or  taking  place  in  their 
own  feelings,  when  the  Sun  rises,  or  when  it  sets;  and 
when  it  arises  acrain  on  the  morrow  all  thinsrs  to  them 
continue  as  they  were  before.  They  see  their  children 
play  beneath  its  beams,  and  the  flowers  bloom  amid  its 
radiance ;  but  the  idea  has  never  dawned  upon  their 
minds  that  the  buoyant  spirits  of  those  children,  no  less 
than  the  beauty  of  these  flowers,  are  daily  and  hourly 
dependent  upon  its  agency.  To  them  the  sunlight  is 
among  the  most  inoperative  and  feeble  of  earthly  ele- 
ments. They  can  see  no  great  or  special  eflects  [reduced 
by  it  on  the  land,  or  on  the  sea,  or  in  the  air;  and  being 
thus  so  unlike  all  the  elements  with  which  they  are 
accustomed  to  associate  power,  they  infer  that  it  has  no 
such  power.  The  wind  rushes  and  rends  its  way  through 
the  forest,  the  flood  of  waters  sweeps  away  whatever 
may  lie  in  its  course,  and  the  lightning  shivers  or  con- 
sumes whatever  it  may  alight  upon  ;  but  the  sunlight 
eflects  no  such  sudden  changes  or  terrible  destructions;  it 
sitnply  shines,  and  harmlessly  warms  .the  face  of  the 
earth.  Such  is  the  common  estimate  of  the  sunlight. 
Yet,  in  reality,  this  is  one  of  the  most  potent  and  irresis- 
tible agents  in  the  whole  system  of  nature. 

The  sunbeam  is  a  union  of  three  elements  of  power,  or 
a  combination  of  three  distinct  species  of  rays.  The 
first  are  its  luminous  rays,  which  stimulate  the  organ  of 
vision,  and  give  it  light;  the  second  are  its  heating  rays, 
which  are   recognized   by  the  general  sense  of  feeling; 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  201 

and  the  third,  its  actinic  rays,  which  affect  the  chemical 
composition  of  substances.  These  three,  singly  or  con- 
jointly, are  perpetually  and  powerfully  influencing  all 
created  substances,  animate  and  inanimate,  throughout 
the  world ;  they  create  all  motion,  produce  all  color, 
agitate  the  particles  that  compose  all  substances,  break 
up  the  strongest  chemical  affinities,  and  effect  new  com- 
binations. In  short,  no  substance,  organic  or  inorganic, 
simple  or  compound,  can  be  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the 
Sun  without  undergoing  a  chemical  or  mechanical  change, 
or  both. 

To  prove  and  illustrate  these  general  statements  we 
advert  to  a  few  particulars.  Let  the  sunlight  fall  upon 
the  atmosphere,  and  immediately  it  not  only  illumines  it 
throughout,  but  changes  its  temperature,  disturbs  its 
equilibrium  by  currents,  and  sets  in  vibrating  motion  its 
every  atom ;  and  glancing  through  its  clouds,  it  invests 
them  with  all  the  ujors^eous  colors  of  the  rainbow,  ex- 
pands  or  contracts  their  dimensions,  shifts  their  positions, 
and  sets  in  operation  the  constant  interchange  of  particles 
between  their  lower  and  upper  strata,  whereby  their  sus- 
pension in  the  air  is  continued  and  their  descent  to  the 
ground  prevented,  llow  stupendous  are  these  operations 
of  the  gentle  sunbeams!  AVliat  numbers  can  express 
the  cubic  miles  of  air,  or  the  tons  of  watery  vapors  that 
are  thus  perpetually  set  and  maintained  in  all  the  motion 
and  whirl  of  machinery  over  half  the  surface  of  the 
globe ! 

Again,  the  solar  rays  falling  upon  the  watery  wastes 
of  the  ocean  produce  similar  effects  ;  they  sensibly  warm 
it  throughout  its  whole  expanse,  and  thereby  create  and 
perpetuate  a  general  system  of  currents  or  streams  in  its 
waters,  which  are  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the 
temperature  of  the  whole  globe  ;   they  also  draw  up  from 


202  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

its  surface  vast  quantities  of  invisible  exhalations,  which 
in  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere  condense  into 
clouds,  and  in  time  descend  in  showers  to  water  and 
refresh  the  face  of  the  whole  earth.  Thus  every  drop 
of  rain  is  the  product  of  the  Sun's  rays ;  it  owes  its 
birth  from  the  ocean  to  these  rays,  it  owes  its  ascent  into 
the  clouds  to  them,  it  owes  its  transportation  from  that 
distant  region  to  the  currents  of  air  they  have  created, 
and  it  owes  its  descent  to  the  earth  to  their  abated  or 
modified  influence. 

Equally  great  and  marvellous  is  the  influence  of  the 
sunlight  upon  the  vegetation  of  the  world.  It  is  this 
stimulant  that  sustains  all  its  vital  functions ;  by  its  aid 
plants  breathe,  that  is,  part  with  their  oxygen  and  take 
in  carbon ;  to  it  they  owe  the  color  of  their  leaves  and 
flowers,  and  also  the  fragrance  and  flavor  of  their  fruit. 
The  growth  and  the  very  existence  of  every  tree,  or  plant, 
or  blade  of  grass  that  springs  out  of  the  soil  are 
dependent  upon  the  varied  influences  of  the  solar  rays.* 

Nor  is  the  living  creation  less  dependent  upon  the  light 
of  the  Sun.  Its  manifold  influences,  indeed,  constitute 
the  fountain  of  their  life  and  health  and  happiness; 
deprived  of  it,  all  would  quickly  sicken  and  perish  and 
return  to  the  dust.  All  this  is  obvious  from  what  has 
been  said  in  a  previous  chapter,'-' 

Nor  is  the  solar  influence  confined  to  the  foregoing 
provinces  of  creation ;  even  the  cold  hard  mcf((ld  and 
minerals  of  the  ground  placed  beneath  the  sunbeams 
undergo  various  and  remarkable  changes.  The  granite 
rock,  which  presents  its  uplifted  head  in  firmness  to  the 
driving  storm ;  the  blocks  of  marble  which  genius  has 
framed  into  forms  of  architectural  symmetry  and  beauty; 
and  the  brazen  metal  which  is  intended  to  commemorate 


*  See  Part  I.,  Analogy  VI. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  203 

the  great  acts  of  man,  and  which  in  the  human  form 
proclaims  the  hero's  deeds  and  the  artist's  talents,  are  all 
acted  upon,  and  destructively  acted  upon,  too,  during  the 
hours  of  sunshine;  and,  but  for  provisions  of  nature  no 
less  wonderful,  would  soon  perish  under  the  delicate 
touch  of  this  the  most  subtile  of  the  agencies  of  the 
universe. 

Let  the  Sun's  rays  fall  upon  a  mass  of  iro7i,  and  they 
will  separate  its  very  atoms  farther  from  one  another, 
and  thus  sensibly  increase  its  size ;  so  that  the  engineer, 
when  he  lays  in  place  the  heavy  bars  of  a  railroad  track, 
finds  it  necessary  to  leave  a  calculated  space  between  rail 
and  rail,  to  allow  room  for  their  expansion  beneath  the 
summer  Sun.  Equally  marked  is  the  influence  of  the 
sunlight  upon  other  minerals.  Take  the  suIjyJiurate  of 
arsenic,  a  beautiful  mineral  of  a  ruby  red  color  and  of  the 
form  of  splendid  crystals,  and  expose  it  for  a  certain  length 
of  time  to  the  light,  and  it  becomes  pliant  and  falls  into 
powder.  Again,  take  the  mineral  chameleon,  which  in 
darkness  remains  unchanged,  and  lay  it  in  the  sunlight, 
and  it  is  almost  instantly  decomposed.  The  sunrays 
affect  the  constitution  of  other  substances  still,  so  that 
they  undergo  a  complete  change  of  color :  the  silver  ore 
called  horn  silver,  which  in  the  darkness  of  the  mine  is 
colorless,  b-it  exposed  to  the  sunlight  immediate!}^  assumes 
a  violet  tint ;  and,  by  similar  exposure,  the  yellow  phos- 
phorus becomes  red  phosphorus. 

The  power  of  the  solar  light  is  also  strikingly  displayed 
in  jnineral  solutions.  A  solution  of  the  sulphate  of  iron 
in  ordinary  water  may  be  preserved  for  a  long  time,  in 
the  dark,  without  undergoing  any  change ;  but  let  it  be 
exposed  to  the  sunlight,  and  a  precipitation  of  oxide  of 
iron  is  rapidly  produced.  The  same  thing  occurs  with 
a  combination  of  platinum  and  lime.     Indeed,  precipita- 

13 


204 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


tion  is  at  all  times,  and  under  all  circumstances,  acceler- 
ated by  the  Sun's  rays. 

Another  interesting  illustration  of  the  power  of  the 
sunlight  we  have  in  the  solution  of  lunar  caustic.  Brush 
a  sheet  of  white  paper  with  this  fluid,  and,  as  long  as  it 
is  kept  in  darkness,  it  retains  its  whiteness;  but  lay  it 
in  the  light  of  the  Sun,  and  to  see  the  effect  more  strik- 
ingly, place  on  its  centre  a  few  leaves,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  all  the  exposed  portion  of  the  paper  will  turn 
black,  while  that  protected  by  the  leaves  will  be  found  to 
remain  white,  as  in  the  annexed   figure.     This  simple 


CHEMICAL  EFFECT  OF  SUNLIGHT. 


experiment  was  the  first  step  toward  the  wonderful  art 
of  photography,  whose  beautiful  productions  all  are  accom- 
plished by  means  of  the  sunlight. 

The  light  of  the  Sun  powerfully  affects  even  the  im- 
palpable  gases.  Fill  a  glass  vessel  with  chlorine  and 
hydrogen,  and  they  will  not  unite  in  darkness;  neither 
will  chlorine  and  carbonic  oxide ;  but  if  either  of  these 
gaseous  mixtures  be  exposed  to  the  sunlight,  it  will  com- 
bine rapidly,  and  that,  too,  with  an  explosion. 

We  add  but  one  more  illustration:  Light  exerts  an 
important  and  curious  influence  on  the  process  of  cr?/s- 
tallization  of  various  substances.     Let  a  strong  solution 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  205 

of  the  sulphate  of  iron,  in  water,  for  example,  be  placed 
in  a  shallow  dish  ;  and  let  one-lialf  of  the  dish  be  covered 
with  a  black  cloth ;  then  set  it  in  a  darkened  room,  per- 
mitting only  a  single  ray  of  light  to  enter,  so  as  to  strike 
on  the  solution  in  the  uncovered  part  of  the  dish.  Thus 
one-half  of  the  solution  will  be  exposed  to  the  light, 
while  the  other  half  will  be  in  darkness.  After  the  dish 
has  stood  in  this  situation  for  a  day  or  two,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  solution  in  the  part  that  has  been  ex- 
posed to  the  light  will  be  completely  crystallized,  while 
no  signs  of  crystallization  will  be  seen  in  the  part  kept 
in  the  dark. 

Such  are  the  marvellous  and  universal  powers  of  the 
Sun.  No  material  object,  solid  or  liquid,  simple  or  com- 
pound, animate  or  inanimate,  can  be  exposed  to  its  rays 
without  being  affected  in  one  way  or  another  by  their 
great  and  varied  influences.  Yea,  their  forces  penetrate 
even  to  objects  that  are  not  immediately  exposed  to 
them ;  from  them  nothing  is  hid,  nothing  exempt.  "Un- 
der the  excitement  of  the  several  agencies  of  the  solar 
beams,"  says  the  author  of  The  Poetry  of  Science,  "motion 
is  given  to  all  bodies  by  the  circulation  of  caloric,  and 
a  full  flow  of  electricity  is  sent  around  the  earth  to  per- 
form its  wondrous  works.  The  solar  influences,  which 
we  regard  as  light,  heat,  actinism,  and  electricity,  are 
active  in  effecting  an  actual  change  of  state  in  matter, 
and  in  all  probability  in  influencing  the  great  magnetic 
phenomena  of  the  world.  The  sunbeam  of  the  morning 
falls  on  the  solid  earth,  and  its  influence  is  felt  to  the 
very  centre.  The  mountain-top  catches  the  first  ray  of 
light,  and  its  base,  still  wrapt  in  mists  and  darkness,  is 
disturbed  by  the  irradiating  power.  The  crystalline  gem5, 
hidden  in  the  darkness  of  the  solid  rock,  are  dependent 
for  that  form  which  makes  them  valued  by  the  proud,  on 


206  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  influence  of  those  radiations  which  they  are  one  day 
to  refract  in  beauty.  The  metals  locked  in  the  chasms 
of  the  rifted  rocks  are,  for  all  their  physical  peculiari- 
ties, as  dependent  on  solar  influence  as  is  the  flower  which 
lifts  its  head  to  the  morning  Sun,  or  the  bird  which  sings 
at  heaven's  high  gate." — Light,  the  light  of  the  Sun,  is 
one  of  the  great  forces  of  the  universe ;  and  who  can 
adequately  appreciate  the  evidences  of  Power  and  Wisdom 
and  Beneficence  connected  with  this  glorious  creation ! 
How  little  do  they  comprehend  its  full  value  who  see 
nothing  in  it  beyond  its  convenience  for  their  petty 
afiairs,  and  transient  interests ! 

Teachings. 

Interesting  and  important  as  these  facts  in  the  world 
of  matter  are,  they  point  us  to  facts  still  more  interesting 
and  important  in  the  world  of  mind.  In  them  we  dis- 
cern a  striking  and  instructive  analogy  to  spiritual  truths 
of  vital  moment.  As  the  Sun  of  nature  thus  leaves  no 
earthly  substance  upon  which  it  falls  uninfluenced  chemi- 
cally or  mechanically,  so  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness cannot  shine  upon  any  human  being  without  effecting 
in  Mm  a  change  either  for  the  better  or  for  the  tcorse. 

The  light  of  Divine  Truth,  like  that  of  the  solar  orb, 
is  necessarily  influential  and  effective.  The  Gospel  of 
Christ,  from  its  very  nature,  will  not  allow  man  to  hear 
and  understand  its  sacred  and  gracious  messages  without 
affecting  him  in  his  deepest  interests.  This  light  conies 
to  him  from  heaven,  and  comes  clothed  with  heaven's 
power,  to  change  and  fashion  him  into  a  vessel  of  mercy, 
fitted  for  glory ;  or  into  a  vessel  of  wrath,  fitted  for  de- 
slruction.  It  leaves  no  soul  of  man  upon  whom  it  shines 
unaffected. 

The  nature  of  the  effects  produced  by  the  light  of  the 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  207 

Sun  of  Righteousness,  like  that  of  the  Sun's  light,  is  de- 
termined by  the  character  of  those  upon  whom  it  descends. 
The  influence  of  the  sunlight  varies  with  the  nature  of 
the  substances  upon  which  it  falls ;  its  warm  rays  falling 
upon  the  wax,  and  it  is  melted ;  upon  the  clay,  and  it  is 
hardened ;  upon  one  fabric,  and  it  is  bleached ;  upon 
another,  and  it  is  blackened ;  upon  the  plant  that  has  its 
roots  imbedded  in  the  soil,  and  it  flourishes;  upon  that 
whose  roots  are  exposed,  and  it  dies ;  upon  the  clear  lake, 
and  it  exhales  refreshing  moisture ;  upon  the  stagnant 
marsh,  and  it  sends  forth  fatal  malaria;  upon  the  living 
creature,  and  it  is  animated  and  delighted ;  upon  the 
dead  carcass,  and  it  is  corrupted  and  decomposed.  So 
diverse,  so  opposite  are  the  effects  wrought  by  one  and 
the  same  Sun,  according  to  the  differing  natures  of  the 
objects  upon  which  its  light  falls.  The  same  holds  true 
of  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  The  character 
of  those  upon  whom  His  divine  light  shines,  likewise,  de- 
termines the  nature  of  the  effects  produced  upon  them. 
It  depends  mainly  upon  the  disposition  of  the  man  him- 
self— for  he  is  a  voluntary  agent — whether  the  heavenly 
light  that  shines  upon  him  shall  prove  to  him  "  a  savor 
of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death."  If  he  receive 
it  in  an  humble,  docile,  and  obedient  spirit,  it  will  be  life; 
but  if  in  a  proud,  unbelieving,  and  rebellious  spirit,  it  will 
be  death. 

The  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  works  a  change 
in  our  moral  and  religious  obligations.  It  is  required, 
and  it  is  accepted  of  God  according  to  that  a  man  hath, 
whether  it  be  of  ability  or  of  light.  When  a  man,  there- 
fore, who  has  had  nothing  more  than  the  light  of  nature 
for  his  guidance,  is  brought  into  the  superior  light  of 
Revelation,  his  obligations  to  God  and  man  become 
greater    and    higher   in    a   corresponding   degree.      The 


208  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

measure  of  his  light  becomes  the  measure  of  his  duty. 
As  soon  as  the  Gospel  is  proclaimed  to  him,  the  Gospel 
becomes  to  him  the  rule  of  life.  A  knowledge  of  his  duty 
binds  him  to  the  performance  of  it.  This  is  the  law  of 
heaven ;  to  it  there  is  no  exception,  and  from  it  there  is 
no  escape.  "  To  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth 
it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin."  It  follows,  therefore,  that  from 
the  hour  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shines  upon 
us,  and  makes  duty  plain  before  our  eyes,  there  remains 
for  us  no  rule  but  to  walk  according  to  that  light.  No 
sooner  is  the  command  sounded  in  our  ears,  "  Thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself,"  than  it  becomes  our  bounden  duty  to 
obey  it.  From  the  moment  Christ  is  proposed  to  our 
acceptance  as  our  Saviour  from  sin,  we  come  under  the 
most  sacred  obligation  to  commit  our  souls  into  his  hands. 
Not  to  receive  him  is  to  reject  him ;  and  to  reject  him  is 
death.  So  great  is  the  change  wrought  in  our  standing 
and  duty  by  the  coming  of  the  light  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 

The  more  direct  and  clear  his  divine  beams  fall  upon 
us,  the  more  decisive  their  effects  upon  our  moral  and 
religious  character.  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  to 
them,  they  had  not  had  sin ;  but  now  they  have  no  cloak 
for  their  sin."  These  words  spake  Jesus  to  the  Jews. 
Their  former  advantages  had  been  very  considerable,  yet 
were  small  compared  with  those  which  they  enjoyed 
under  his  luminous  ministry.  Their  previous  light  w^is 
but  as  the  gray  dawn  to  the  noonday  Sun  when  compared 
to  the  bright  and  glorious  light  which  now  shone  around 
them  from  his  teachings  and  miracles  and  example.  As 
a  consequence  their  sin  in  their  former  condition  was  as 
nothing  to  their  sins  under  their  present  privileges.  Hence 
Christ  speaks  as  if  their  previous  offences  were  not  to  be 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  209 

noticed  in  comparison  with  the  guilt  of  their  unbelief  and 
disobedience  amid  the  blaze  of  light  which  he  had  shed 
upon  thera.  He  fixes  attention  upon  their  present  guilt 
as  if  it  had  been  their  only  guilt — "  If  I  had  not  come 
and  spoken  to  them,  they  had  not  had  sin ;  but  now  they 
have  no  cloak  for  their  sin."  And  all  this  is  equally 
true  of  all  that  enjoy  the  light  of  his  Gospel  in  the  present 
day. 

The  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  affects  every 
hearty  and  works  a  change  in  its  disposition  and  character. 
It  never  fails  to  soften  or  to  harden  it.  It  is  impossible 
to  hear  and  understand  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  without 
being  essentially  and  eternally  affected  by  them.  Like 
the  Sun  in  the  heavens,  the  Gospel  is  designed  and  fitted 
to  promote  the  good  of  all — to  win  them  from  sin,  to 
lead  them  to  holiness,  and  to  save  them  with  a  glorious 
and  everlasting  salvation.  And  it  actually  produces 
these  effects  on  the  minds  of  all  who  cordially  receive  it, 
and  yield  their  hearts  to  its  transforming  influence — 
"they  are  renewed,  they  are  sanctified,  they  are  justified 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our 
God."  But  upon  the  minds  of  the  carnal  and  sensual, 
of  the  worldly  and  heedless,  it  produces  entirely  opposite 
effects.  Instead  of  melting  it  indurates,  instead  of  quick- 
ening and  refining  the  moral  sensibilities  it  blunts  and 
deadens  them,  instead  of  elevating  to  more  devout  aspira- 
tions it' sinks  to  greater  apathy  and  sinful  stupidity: — 
and  all  this,  not  through  any  tendency  to  foster  evil  in 
the  Gospel  itself,  but  through  the  evil  that  is  in  man,  re- 
sisting and  perverting  its  legitimate  influence.  And  by 
continuance  in  this  course,  a  hahit  of  opposition  and  in- 
differency  is  soon  established;  and  the  habit  inevitably 
issues  in  blindness  of  mind  and  hardness  of  heart;  so  that 
presently   he  becomes    unimpressible   alike   to  the  invi- 


210  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

tations  of  mercy  and  to  the  threatenings  of  justice. 
Eternal  things  cease  to  move  him,  cease  to  interest  him. 
He  can  listen  to  the  thunders  of  Sinai  and  to  the  groans 
of  Calvary  with  equal  indifference.  Henceforth  the 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  all  the  gracious  means 
of  salvation  are  to  him  but  "  the  savor  of  death  unto 
death." 

From  the  foregoing  facts  it  obviously  follows,  that  the 
light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  decisively  affects  the 
eternal  destiny  of  all  that  enjoy  it.  This  light  is  clothed 
with  mighty  power ;  it  bleaches  or  blackens,  it  saves  or 
destroys.  Those  who  walk  according  to  the  light  will  be 
conducted  to  glory,  honor  and  immortality ;  but  they  who 
love  darkness  rather  than  light,  shall  stumble  and  fall 
and  perish.  And  of  all  the  multitudes  who  shall  stand 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ,  none  will  be  burdened 
with  weightier  guilt,  or  fall  under  more  aggravated  con- 
demnation, than  those  who  have  lived  beneath  his  light, 
and  yet  neglected  or  abused  its  great  advantages.  These 
are  they  who  are  described  under  the  image  of  "  the  ser- 
vant who  knew  his  master's  will,  and  did  it  not ;  and, 
therefore,  was  beaten  with  many  stripes."  They  have 
repelled  the  advances  of  divine  love — they  have  braved 
the  warnings  of  divine  justice — they  have  slighted  the 
offers  of  divine  mercy.  With  their  eyes  open  they  have 
advanced  to  ruin  and  to  woe.  And  when  they  come  to 
appear  before  the  great  tribunal,  a  holy  universe  will 
approve  the  sentence  that  will  assign  to  them  severer 
punishment  than  that  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,  and  sink  them 
to  lower  depths  than  those  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  211 

ANALOGY   VIT. 

As  a  small  pencil  of  light  from  tlie  Sun  of  Nature,  entering  into  a  dark 
room,  serves  to  reveal  mani/  phenomena  pertaining  to  that  glorious  orb, 
otherwise  invisible — so  a  beam  from  the  Sun  of  liighteousness,  entering 
the  dark  mind  of  man,  reveals  in  Him  wonders  of  love  and  grace,  all 
before  unknown. 

Phenomena. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  a  sheet  of  white  paper 
may  be  written  over  with  certain  transparent  fluids  so  as 
to  exhibit  no  trace  of  any  mark  or  character;  the  eye 
glancing  over  it  would  not  even  suspect  the  existence  of 
any  writing  thereon,  the  surface  appearing  as  white  and 
unstained  as  if  a  pen  had  never  touched  it.  But  if  that 
sheet  of  paper  be  subjected  to  the  action  of  certain  other 
fluids,  or  be  exposed  to  a  certain  degree  of  heat,  the 
writing  will  be  brought  out  distinctly,  and  become  as 
legible  as  if  it  had  been  written  with  ink.  Very  similar 
to  this  is  the  pure  white  sunbeam ;  on  this  likewise,  in 
its  natural  condition,  the  eye  can  discern  no  mark,  or 
line,  or  character;  it  appears  as  untinted  and  unsullied 
whiteness.  Yet,  in  reality,  it  bears  on  its  bosom  records 
of  the  most  interesting  and  important  nature ;  it  is,  in 
fact,  a  volume  written  within  and  without;  and  the  bring- 
ing out,  so  to  speak,  and  the  deciphering  of  this  writing 
on  the  sunbeam  constitutes  one  of  the  most  astonishing 
triumphs  of  modern  science. 

In  a  former  chapter  (P.  II.,  An.  2.)  we  have  seen  that 
if  a  beam  of  sunlight  enter  a  dark  room  through  a  small 
aperture,  and  be  made  to  pass  through  a  glass  prism,  it  will 
be  separated  or  dispersed  into  bands  of  difterent  colors, 
and  form  on  the  opposite  white  wall  a  gorgeous  spectrum 
(as  it  is  called),  presenting  all  the  varied  tints  of  the  rain- 
bow— violet,  indigo,  blue,  green,  yellow,  orange  and  red. 
Diligent  investi<2:ation   has    further  shown  that  each  of 


212  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

these  colors  is  characterized  by  properties  peculiar  to 
itself,  and  that  they  differ  from  one  another  in  many 
essential  respects.  They  differ  in  the  extent  of  space 
they  cover  in  the  spectrum :  if  the  whole  length  of  the 
spectrum  be  divided  into  100  equal  parts,  the  red  will 
cover  12  of  those  parts,  the  orange  7,  the  yellow  13,  the 
green  17,  the  blue  17,  the  indigo  11,  and  the  violet  23. 
They  are  also  of  unequal  brilliancy  :  if  the  greatest  inten- 
sity of  light  which  lies  between  yellow  and  green  were 
expressed  by  100,  the  light  of  orange  would  amount  to 
64,  the  middle  red  9,  the  outer  red  3,  the  green  to  48, 
the  blue  to  17,  between  blue  and  violet  to  3,  and  violet 
itself  to  less  than  1.  Again,  they  possess  very  different 
degrees  of  heat ;  and  they  also  carry  in  them  very  differ- 
ent measures  of  actinic  or  chemical  influence.  Thus 
what  appears,  naturally,  to  be  a  single  and  simple  sub- 
stance is  found  to  be  a  very  complex  thing.  But  all  that 
we  have  now  stated  is  only  the  beginning  of  the  wonders 
wrapped  up  in  the  sun  ray.  By  patient  study  and 
ingenious  contrivances  this  marvel  of  creation  has  been 
made  to  reveal  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  different 
characters  or  symbols,  all  full  of  significance,  and  which 
scientific  men,  in  these  very  last  days,  have  learned  to 
read  and  interpret  as  readily  and  as  certainly  as  our  great 
scholars  have  the  hieroglyphics  of  Egypt,  or  the  cuneiform 
inscriptions  of  the  ancient  monuments  of  Assyria. 

The  earliest  experiments  in  the  dispersion  of  light 
were  made  with  a  single  prism ;  but  study  and  ingenuity 
soon  improved  upon  this  method.  Combinations  of  sev- 
eral prisms  ere  long  were  formed  into  instruments  called 
Spectroscopes.  In  these  the  light  is  admitted  through  a 
fine  slit  instead  of  a  round  hole,  and  then  passed  through 
a  succession  of  prisms.  By  this  arrangement,  the  portion 
of  light  already  dispersed  by  one  prism  is  received  upon 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT. 


213 


another,  and  by  means  of  this  is  further  dispersed ;  and 
so  on  with  a  third,  a  fourth,  etc.  In  this  way  the  spec- 
trum is  greatly  expanded,  as  a  minute  object  is  magnified 
when  viewed  through  two  or  more  lenses,  so  that  numer- 
ous lines,  which  were  before  invisible,  come  to  view, 
some  more  strongly  and  some  more  faintly  marked.  This 
adjustment  of  prisms,  together  with  the  advantages 
gained  therefrom,  will  be  readily  understood  by  reference 
to  the  annexed  figure.  S  S'  is  the  slit  through  which  the 
light  enters ;  1,  2,  3  and  4,  are  the  prisms  through  which 
the  light  successively  passes;  and  a  b  the  screen  on 
which  it  finally  falls  dispersed  in  the  form  of  a  spectrum. 
The  beam  of  light  falls  first 
on  prism  1.  If  a  sheet  of 
white  paper  were  placed  to 
intercept  this  beam  any- 
where between  S  .S'  and 
prism  1,  there  would  be  seen 
upon  it  a  bright  bar  of  light 
shaped  like  S  S'.  Prism  1 
disperses  this  beam,  and  it 
falls  thus  dispersed  on  prism  a  sunbay  expanded. 

2.  If  the  sheet  of  paper  were  placed  to  intercept  the 
beam  anywhere  between  prism  1  and  2,  a  short  spectrum 
would  be  seen  upon  it.  This  beam  again  passes  as  before 
to  prism  3 ;     and  if  the  paper  were  placed  between  2  and 

3,  a  longer  spectrum  would  be  seen.  Between  3  and  4 
the  spectrum  would  be  still  longer.  And,  lastly,  the  rays, 
widely  dispersed,  fall  upon  the  screen  a  h,  and  thereon 
form  a  lengthened  spectrum,  complete,  but  somewhat 
fainter  than  when  one  prism  only  is  employed.  On  this 
screen  the  violet  fiills  at  V,  the  indigo  at  I,  and  so  on  to 
the  red  at  R.  Between  the  extreme  violet  end  of  the 
Bpectrum  and  the  extreme   red  end,  lie   the  innumerable 


214 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


tints  of  the  rainbow,  fading  undefinably  one  into  the 
other ;  at  intervals,  however,  there  are  wider  or  narrower 
spaces,  which  exhibit  no  colors,  but  appear  as  dark  lines, 
running  across  the  spectrum  parallel  to  one  another,  and 
situated  at  various  distances.  These,  under  the  action  of 
a  strong  battery  of  prisms,  appear  in  great  numbers. 

For  certain  purposes,  various  instruments  differing 
considerably  from  the  above  are  sometimes  employed, 
and  of  the  principle  of  which  an  idea  may  be  gained  from 
the  accompanying  representation.     In  this,  the  ray  of 

light  enters  through  the 
tube  A,  and  passing  through 
a  narrow  slit  in  the  end  of 
it,  falls  upon  the  first  prism 
to  the  right ;  from  this  it 
passes  to  the  second,  and 
so  on  to  all  the  remaining 
prisms,  till  it  forms  a  com- 
plete circle,  and  returns  in 
an  elongated  spectrum  to 
enter  the  telescope  B, 
through  which  it  may  be 
seen  with  superior  advan- 

THE     PATU  OF   A  BAY  THROUGH    NINE     ^'^b^' 

PRISMS.  The  darh  lines  brought 

to  view  in  the  solar  spectrum  by  contrivances  such  as  the 
above,  let  it  be  observed,  are  not  occasional  or  accidental, 
but  permanent,  and  belong  to  the  Sun's  light  as  such. 
They  are  found  in  the  same  relative  positions,  and  are 
marked  with  the  same  relative  distinctness  or  faintness 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  whether  the 
light  comes  direct  from  the  Sun  at  midday,  or  by  reflec- 
tion from  the  moon  at  midnight. 

The  first  to  observe  these  lines  was  Wollaston ;  he  saw. 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT. 


215 


however,  but  two  or  three  only  of  them ;  but  in  that 
small  beginning  lay  the  germ  of  the  most  wonderful  dis- 
coveries man  has  yet  made.  After  him,  Fraunhofer, 
with  immeasurable  patience  and  improved  contrivances, 
prosecuted  the  study  of  these  mysterious  lines ;  and  by 
the  year  1814  had  detected  and  mapped  no  less  than 
576  of  them.  The  relative  position  in  the  spectrum  of 
the  principal  of  these,  as  well  as  the  colors  within  which 
they  lie,  are  indicated  in  the  figure  annexed,  which  will 
serve  by  a  glance  to  convey  a  clearer  idea  of  them  than 
any  mere  verbal  description.  A  is  a  clear  line  close  to 
the  limit  of  the  red  end  of  the  spectrum.  B  is  a  well- 
defined  line  also  in  the  red.  Between  A  and  B  is  a  band 
of  several  finer  lines  marked  a.     C  is  a  dark  and  well- 


FRAUNHOFEIt  rf   LINES. 


marked  line.  Between  B  and  C  Fraunhofer  counted 
nine  fine  lines;  between  C  and  D  about  thirty.  D  con- 
sists of  two  strong  lines  close  together.  Between  D  and 
E  he  counted  eighty-four  lines.  E  is  a  band  of  several 
lines,  the  middle  line  of  the  set  being  stronger  than  the 
rest.  At  h  are  three  strong  lines,  the  two  farthest  from 
E  being  close  together.  Between  E  and  h  he  counted 
twenty-four  lines,  and  between  b  and  F  more  than  fifty. 
F,  G  and  H  are  strong  lines.  Between  F  and  G,  and 
between  G  and  H,  he  counted  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
and  one  hundred  and  ninety  respectively ;  he  found 
many  lines  also  between  H  and  I,  the  violet  end  of 
the  spectrum. 

Since  the  day  of  Fraunhofer  a  multitude  of  skillful 


216  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  indefatigable  workers  have  devoted  themselves  to 
promote  this  branch  of  science,  and  great  progress  has 
been  made  both  in  the  discovery  and  interpretation  of 
the  spectrum  lines.  Upwards  of  2,000  of  these  lines  have 
already  been  marl<ed  and  mapped  down,  with  all  the 
precision  of  a  geographical  survey,  and  more  are  contin- 
ually being  brought  to  light,  as  instruments  are  improved 
and  skill  in  the  use  of  them  is  being  perfected. 

What  then  is  the  meaning  of  these  bands  and  lines 
observed  in  the  solar  spectrum  ?  What  significance  do 
they  possess,  or  what  instruction  do  they  offer,  to  make 
them  worthy  of  the  persistent  and  profound  study  be- 
stowed upon  them?  Before  we  can  give  an  intelligent 
answer  to  these  questions  it  will  be  necessary  to  devote  a 
few  lines  to  an  explanation  of  the  mode  and  means  of 
their  interpretation. 

The  Sun,  let  it  be  observed,  is  not  the  only  body  cap- 
able of  casting  a  spectrum ;  every  other  luminous  object, 
— a  lamp,  a  gas  jet,  a  candle,  a  fagot,  or  even  any  incan- 
descent substance,  will  give  a  similar  spectrum.  Lumin- 
osity is  the  only  property  or  qualification  necessary  to  the 
formation  of  a  spectrum.  Dark  bodies  are  not  available 
for  spectrum  analysis  ;  if  these  are  to  be  brought  under 
its  scrutiny  they  must  first  be  rendered  luminous.  And 
chemistry  and  physics,  in  the  present  day,  afford  ample 
means  for  rendering  luminous  all  substances,  gaseous  and 
ungaseous,  and  even  the  hardest  metals  and  most  refrac- 
tory of  earthly  minerals. 

Scientific  men  have  devoted  much  time  and  study  to 
the  invention  of  means  for  creating  any  required  degree 
of  light  and  heat,  and  their  labors  have  been  crowned 
with  eminent  success.  What  is  known  as  the  Bunsen 
lamp  creates  a  flame  of  such  intense  heat  that  it  will 
even  melt  a  quantity   of   platinum   in   a  few   minutes. 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  217 

Magnesium,  when  heated  up  to  a  certain  temperature, 
ignites  and  burns  with  a  light  so  dazzling  that  the  eye 
cannot  bear  to  look  upon  it,  and  gives  out  an  extraor- 
dinary amount  of  heat.  The  combustion  of  oxyhydrogen 
(i.  e.,  a  mixture  of  two  volumes  of  hydrogen  with  one  of 
oxygen)  gives  a  heat  that  is  sufficient  to  melt  substances 
which  have  borne  unchanged  the  action  of  the  hottest 
furnaces.  If  a  thick  wire  of  platinum  (a  metal  very  diffi- 
cult to  fuse)  be  held  in  this  flame,  it  will  melt  like  wax; 
or  if  a  bundle  of  steel  wires  be  placed  in  it,  the  steel  will 
sputter  about  in  a  thousand  brilliant  sparks  like  a  shower 
of  fire,  which  will  fall  to  the  ground  in  great  molten  drops 
and  run  about  in  all  directions.  Platinum  will  melt  at 
a  heat  of  2678°  Fahr. ;  but  the  Drummond  Lime-light 
will  create  a  heat  that  amounts  to  5070°  Fahr.  The 
most  intense  light  and  heat,  however,  yet  known,  are 
those  of  the  electric  spark  which  results  from  the  union 
of  positive  and  negative  electricity,  which  is  produced 
and  maintained  by  a  variety  of  ingenious  contrivances, 
which  we  cannot  stop  to  describe.  The  amount  or  de- 
gree of  heat  thus  at  the  command  of  the  scientist  is  suf- 
ficient to  volatilize,  or  convert  into  luminous  vapor,  any 
metal  or  other  substances  that  may  be  placed  in  it;  and 
this  vapor  comes  at  once  within  the  sphere  of  spectrum 
analysis. 

Now,  by  these  means,  the  spectra  of  a  great  many 
elements  and  substances  have  been  obtained,  and  ac- 
curately recorded.  Of  these  we  just  name  a  few.  The 
electric  light  produces  a  continuous  spectrum  ;  that  is,  a 
spectrum  unmarked  by  any  dark  or  bright  lines.  All 
incandescent  bodies,  whether  solid  or  liquid,  also  give  a 
continuous  spectrum.  But  very  different  spectra  are  ob- 
tained from  vapors  and  gases  in  a  glowing  or  luminous 
state ;  these,  instead  of  a  continuous  succession  of  colors, 


218  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

exhibit  spectra  marked  by  a  series  of  bright  bands  sep- 
arated one  from  another  by  dark  lines  or  spaces.  If  by 
means  of  the  Bunsen  himp,  or  the  electric  spark,  a  piece 
of  zinc  be  volatilized,  its  luminous  vapor  will  give  a  spec- 
trum marked  by  one  red  band  and  three  very  beautiful 
bright  blue  bands.  If  a  piece  of  copper  be  vohitilized,  its 
vapor  will  give  a  spectrum  marked  by  three  green  bands. 
If  zinc  and  copper  be  volatilized  together,  their  mixed 
vapor  will  give  a  magnificent  spectrum  marked,  not  only 
by  the  red  line  and  the  three  bright  blue  bands  of  the 
zinc,  but  also  by  the  green  bands  of  the  copper ;  there  is 
no  commixture  or  confusion,  but  each  of  the  vapors, 
though  mingled,  emits  its  own  system  of  colored  bands. 
The  same  holds  true  of  the  combined  volatilization  of 
other  metallic  substances.  The  vapor  of  sodium  gives  a 
spectrum  distinguished  by  one  bright  orange  double  line ; 
that  of  lithium  by  two  colored  lines  or  bands,  one  a  bril- 
liant red  and  the  other  a  faint  yellow ;  that  of  thallium 
by  a  bright  green  line  and  a  set  of  violet-colored  bands  at 
some  distance  from  it;  that  of  ccesinm  by  ten  fine  but 
distinguishable  lines,  of  which  two  are  blue  and  one  yel- 
low ;  that  of  rubidium  by  two  bright  blue  bars,  two  green, 
two  yellow,  and  four  red  ;  that  of  ferrum  or  iron  by 
several  hundreds  of  difiering  bright  lines.  The  gases, 
oxygen  and  liydrogen  and  nitrogen,  also,  each  give  its 
own  particular  and  distinctive  system  of  bands  and 
lines. 

Let  not  the  reader  imagine  that  all  these  are  merely 
fanciful  or  accidental  results.  Far,  indeed,  is  this  from 
being  the  case.  The  spectrum  of  each  particular  element 
or  substance  is  distinctive  and  so  permanent  that  the  ex- 
perienced spectroscopist  can  at  once  recognize  it.  By  the 
number,  the  position,  and  relative  brightness  of  the  bands 
and  lines  in  the  spectra  he  can  pronounce  with  certainty 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT,  219 

the  chemical  constitution  or  nature  of  the  vapors  which 
produce  them.  The  spectroscope  is  an  instrument  of  sur- 
passing sensitiveness  and  delicacy ;  nothing  can  escape 
its  test.  "  When  the  balance,  the  microscope,  and  every 
other  means  of  research  at  the  command  of  the  physicisi 
and  the  chemist  utterly  fail,  one  look  in  the  spectroscope 
is  sufficient  in  most  cases  to  reveal  the  presence  of  a 
substance.  If  a  pound  of  common  salt  be  divided  into 
500,000  equal  parts,  the  weight  of  one  of  these  portions 
is  called  a  milligramme.  The  chemist  is  able,  by  the 
use  of  the  most  delicate  scales  and  the  application  of 
special  skill,  to  determine  the  weight  of  such  a  particle ; 
but  in  doing  so,  he  comes  close  upon  the  limits  of  his 
power  of  detecting  by  chemical  means  the  presence  of 
sodium,  the  chief  element  of  common  salt.  But  if  that 
small  milligramme  be  subdivided  into  3,000,000  parts,  we 
arrive  at  so  minute  a  particle  that  all  power  of  discerning 
it  fails,  and  yet  even  this  excessively  small  quantity  is 
sufficient  to  be  recognized  with  certainty  in  a  spectroscope. 
We  have  but  to  strike  together  the  pages  of  an  old  dusty 
book  in  order  to  perceive  immediately  in  a  spectroscope 
placed  at  some  distance,  the  flash  of  a  line  of  yellow  light 
which  we  shall  presently  learn  is  an  unfailing  sign  of 
the  presence  of  sodium."'-' 

We  are  now  prepared  to  speak  of  the  significance  of 
the  dark  lines  in  the  solar  spectrum.  It  has  been  dis- 
covered, and  has  been  proved  in  various  ways  and  by 
innumerable  experiments,  to  be  a  general  law  that,  "gases 
and  vapors  in  transmitting  light  from  any  source  absorb 
precisely  those  rays  which  they  themselves  emit  when 
rendered  luminous."  For  example,  luminous  sodium  vapor 
gives  a  spectrum  of  one  bright  orange  double  line  ;  that 
is,  what  it  emits  is  this  yellow  light  only.     Now,  if  the 

*  Schelleu's  Spectrum  Analysis,  p.  5, 
14 


220  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

white  light  of  Bunsen's  lamp,  or  of  the  electric  arc,  be 
made  to  pass  through  the  sodium  vapor,  that  vapor  will 
absorb  or  extinguish  from  the  light  just  those  yellow 
rays  which  it  emitted,  and  there  will  thus  be  left  in 
their  room  a  dark  double  line,  in  precisely  the  same 
position,  and  precisely  of  the  same  width.  Take  again 
luminous  lithium  vapor,  which  gives  a  spectrum  of  one 
intense  red  line  and  a  fainter  orange  one;  this,  likewise, 
will  absorb  just  those  same  rays  or  colors  from  the  white 
light  sent  through  it,  and  two  unequally  dark  lines  will 
appear  in  their  stead  in  exactly  the  same  place.  The 
same  holds  true  of  all  other  luminous  vapors  and  gases ; 
— when  pure  white  light  passes  through  them,  for  their 
own  characteristic  colored  lines  in  their  respective  spec- 
tra, they  substitute  invariably  dark  lines,  of  exactly  the 
same  breadth,  in  exactly  the  same  position,  and  of  exactly 
the  same  relative  intensity.  Hence,  as  the  various  sub- 
stances of  our  globe  can  be  recognized  by  their  spectra, 
so  the  dark  lines  in  the  spectrum  of  the  Sun  afford  a  key 
to  the  recognition  of  the  materials  which  compose  that 
glowing  and  brilliant  orb. 

To  make  this  perfectly  plain  the  reader  is  referred  to 
the  annexed  figure,  where  the  coincidence  of  65  lines  in 
the  spectrum  of  iron  with  the  corresponding  dark  lines 
in  the  solar  spectrum  are  represented ;  the  entire  number 
of  coincidences  belonging  to  this  metal  amount  to  no  less 
than  4G0.  In  all  these  there  is  the  most  perfect  corre- 
spondence ;  every  line  of  the  iron  spectrum  appears  as  a 
dark  line  in  the  spectrum  of  the  Sun,  and  not  only  that, 
but  strong  line  for  strong  line,  and  faint  line  for  faint 
line.  The  complete  coincidence  of  so  many  bright  lines 
in  one  and  the  same  substance  with  the  same  number 
of  dark  lines  in  the  solar  spectrum,  shows  conclusively 
that  those  dark  lines  are  to  be  ascribed  to  the  absorptive 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT. 


221 


effect  of  the  vapor  of  iron  in  the  Sun's  atmosphere,  through 

which    the    pure   white    light 

of    his    incandescent     nucleus 

must  pass,  in  its  outward  flow, 

to  reach  the  earth".     The  dark 

lines  are   those  of  u-on  vapor, 

and    of    no    other    substance ; 

and   that  vapor   by  reason   of 

the  extreme  heat  of  the  nucleus, 

must  be  around   the  globe  of 

the  Sun,  as  it  can  he  nowhere 

else.     "Hence,"  says  Kirchhofl*, 

"  the  observations  of  the  solar 

spectrum  appear  to  me  to  prove 

the  presence  of  iron  vapor  in 

the  solar   atmosphere   with   as 

great  a  degree  of  certainty  as 

we  can  attain  in  any  question 

of  natural  science." 

While  Kirchhoff  himself  en- 
tertained no  doubt  of  the 
correctness  of  his  conclusion, 
yet,  to  satisfy  others,  he  took ' 
the  trouble  to  calculate,  from 
the  doctrine  of  probabilities, 
that  the  chance  of  his  be- 
ing mistaken  was  less  than  1 
to  1,000,000,000,000,000,000. 
Subsequent  discoveries  have  I 
wiped  out  even  this  faint  room 
for  doubt. 

AVhat  is  thus  sufficiently 
proved  by  the  one  element  of 
iron  is  abundantly  corroborated  hy  similar  coincidences  of 


COINCIDENCE  OF   SOLAK   AND   IKON 
LINKS. 


222 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL, 


the  lines  of  numerous  other  substances.  According  to 
the  investigations  of  Angstrom,  the  numbers  of  the  bright 
lines  of  the  following  substances  coincident  with  equal 
numbers  of  dark  lines  in  the  solar  spectrum  are  as  fol- 
lows : — 


Hydrogen 

4 

Titanium 

.      118 

Sodium    . 

9 

Chromium 

18 

Iron 

.      460 

Nicliel     . 

33 

Calcium  , 

75 

Cobalt     . 

19 

Barium    . 

...        11 

Aluminium 

2 

Magnesium 

4 

Zinc 

2 

Manganese 

.        67 

Copper   . 

7 

There  have  been  also  partial  coincidences  of  gold  and 
other  substances  detected ;  and  there  are  reasons  to 
believe  that  several  more  elements  will  be  discovered,  as 
instruments  will  be  carried  to  a  greater  degree  of  per- 
fection. From  all  this,  it  is  regarded  indubitably  proved 
that  all  the  above-named  substances,  ivhich  be-long  to  our 
globe,  enter  also  into  the  composition  of  the  Sun.  And  the 
inference  is  natural  and  legitimate  that  these  same  ele- 
ments are  common  to  all  the  planets. 

These,  indeed,  are  astonishing  facts  to  be  determined 
concerning  a  globe  situated  at  a  distance  of  more  than 
ninety  millions  of  miles  from  us  ;  and  yet  the  wonders  end 
not  even  here.  Not  only  has  Spectrum  Analysis  proved 
the  existence  of  a  vaporous  and  gaseous  envelop  encom- 
passing the  Sun,  but  also,  by  means  of  certain  variations 
observed  in  the  spectrum  lines,  has  ascertained  its  com- 
parative density,  and  proved  that  its  pressure  at  the 
surface  of  the  solar  orb  is  less  than  that  of  our  atmosphere 
at  the  surface  of  the  earth.  But  the  most  marvellous  of 
all  the  achievements  of  this  science,  perhaps,  is  its  deter- 
mination, by  the  accurate  measurement  of  small  displace- 
ments in  the  position  of  these  lines,  whether  a  luminous 
body  in  the  heavens  is  approaching  us,  or  receding  from 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  223 

US,  and  at  what  speed  it  is  travelling.  In  this  way  it 
has  been  ascertained  that  vast  luminous  clouds  of  gaseous 
vapors  sometimes  travel  over  the  surface  of  the  Sun,  like 
fearful  cyclones,  at  the  astonishing  rate  of  120  miles  per 
second.  "  By  an  observation  not  occupying  many  sec- 
onds," says  Proctor,  "  any  clear-sighted  person,  armed  by 
our  opticians  with  adequate  spectroscopic  power,  can  meas- 
ure the  swiftness  of  the  solar  windstorm,  can  gauge  the 
pressure  of  the  solar  atmosphere,  and  can  estimate  the 
relative  temperature  of  spot  and  faculse,  of  photosphere 
and  chromatosphere,  and,  lastly,  of  the  higher  regions 
to  which  eruptions  cast  those  masses  of  glowing  vapor 
which  form  the  solar  prominences." 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  wonderful  knowledge  that  has 
been  gained  of  the  great  Fountain  of  Light  within  the 
past  few  years, — and  all  communicated  by  the  gentle 
sunbeam.  The  ray  of  light,  forsaking  its  celestial  home, 
and,  like  a  winged  messenger,  descending  to  the  earth, 
enters  the  still  and  darkened  apartment  of  the  spectro- 
scopist,  and  there  reveals  all  these  wonders  concerning 
its  parent  orb — its  physical  constitution,  its  material  ele- 
ments, its  intensity  of  light  and  heat,  its  stupendous 
storms  and  agitations,  and  its  outflowing  influences  for  the 
benefit  of  the  hundred  worlds  that  revolve  around  it — 
wonders  otherwise  all  unknown  to  man.  And  who  that 
rightly  contemplates  such  phenomena  as  these  but  must 
exclaim  with  the  devout  Apostle,  "  0,  the  depth  of  the 
riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God !  how  un- 
searchable are  his  ordinances,  and  his  ways  past -finding 
out!  Who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord,  or  who  hath 
been  his  counsellor?  Or  who  hath  first  given  to  him, 
and  it  shall  be  recompensed  to  him  again?  For  of  him, 
and  through  him,  and  to  him,  are  all  things :  to  whom 
be  glory  forever.     Amen." 


224  the  celestial  symbol. 

Teachings. 

Now,  as  a  ray  of  light  from  the  material  Sun,  entering 
into  a  dark  room,  thus  serves  to  reveal  so  many  phe- 
nomena pertaining  to  that  glorious  orb,  which  otherwise 
would  have  remained  forever  unknown ;  so  a  beam  from 
the  Suii  of  Righteousness,  entering  a  dark  mind,  there  reveals 
loonders  of  love  and  grace  In  Him,  which  that  mind  never 
kneio,  never  conceived  before. 

The  spectroscopist,  sitting  in  his  dark  apartment,  with 
the  light  of  day  and  all  the  charms  of  nature  shut  out,  is 
an  apt  and  true  emblem  of  the  soul  in  its  natural  condi- 
tion, in  its  unrenewed  and  unenlightened  state.  Man  by 
nature  is  in  darkness,  deep  moral  darkness.  The  truth 
or  light  of  the  Gospel  may  shine  all  around  him,  as  the 
light  of  the  Sun  around  the  scientist's  shut-up  room,  but 
he  perceives  it  not,  realizes  not  its  spiritual  meaning. 
He  is  in  the  dark ;  he  sees  not  the  glories  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  apprehends  not  his  true  character,  nor 
the  gracious  nature  of  his  mission  into  the  world. 
"Having  eyes,  he  sees  not;  and  having  ears,  he  hears 
not."  Sitting  in  darkness  and  in  the  region  and  shadow 
of  death,  is  a  true  description  of  the  condition  of  the 
whole  human  race  in  their  native  state ;  and  a  principal 
object  of  tiie  advent  of  the  Son  of  God  among  men  was 
to  impart  light  to  them.  "  In  that  day,"  saith  the 
prophet,  "  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of  the  book,  and 
the  eyes  of  the  blind  shall  see  out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of 
darkness."  Hence  it  is  said  even  of  all  who  have  become 
true  Christians,  "Ye  were  some  time  darkness,  but  now 
are  ye  light  in  the  Lord  " — "  Now  are  ye  children  of 
light" — "A  peculiar  people,  that  ye  should  show  forth 
the  praisec  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  225 

into  his  marvellous  light" — "He  that  followeth  me  shall 
not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 

We  have  seen  that  when  the  sunray  gains  admission 
into  the  philosopher's  dark  apartment,  and  is  by  his  prism 
cast  upon  the  opposite  white  screen,  what  a  beautiful  dis- 
play of  the  glorious  light  of  the  Sun  is  at  once  spread  out 
before  him ;  and,  as  he  further  sifts  and  studies  those 
rainbow  colors,  what  marvellous  discoveries  he  makes  in 
them  concerning  that  distant  orb !  Now  this,  all  this,  is 
but  an  emblem  of  the  far  more  wondrous  and  important 
revelations  made  by  a  beam  from  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, when  it  enters  the  dark  soul  of  man.  Oh,  what 
new  views  are  then  imparted !  what  new  apprehensions 
of  his  nature  and  offices  are  then  gained !  what  grace 
and  glory  are  seen  to  invest  his  person  and  his  char- 
acter ! 

So  marked,  so  real,  so  great  is  this  illumination  of  the 
soul,  that  St.  Paul  compares  it  to  nothing  less  than  the 
first  rising  of  the  San  upon  the  original  darkness  of  our 
globe  :  '•  God,"  says  he,  "  who  commanded  the  light  to 
shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  into  our  hearts  to  give 
the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face 
of  Jesus  Christ."  As  the  darkness  and  mists  that  be- 
fore hid  the  face  of  primeval  nature  were  chased  away 
by  the  first  warm  and  luminous  rays  of  the  rising  Sun, 
and  vale  and  hill,  tree  and  flower  and  rippling  waters 
appeared  in  their  true  forms  and  real  beauty, — so  the 
ignorance,  prejudice  and  unbelief  which  before  enveloped 
the  soul  are  dissipated  by  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, and  the  world  of  spiritual  things  appears 
for  the  first  time  in  its  true  character  and  interest. 
*'  Old  things  now  pass  away ;  behold,  all  things  become 
new. 

Before  the  heavenly  light  came,  Christ  was  but  a  de- 


226  THE  CElLESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

scendant  of  Abraham  like  other  Jews,  and  differing  from 
them  in  nothing  save  in  his  superior  wisdom  and  morality. 
At  best  he  was  looked  upon  but  as  a  more  exalted  Plato ; 
or  more  virtuous  Socrates ;  or  as  the  most  enlightened, 
pure,  and  disinterested  teacher  the  world  had  ever  known. 
But  now  he  is  seen  to  be  far  more  than  all  this — seen 
and  believed  to  be  ^'Immanuel,  God  with  us" — "God 
manifest  in  the  flesh  " — "  The  brightness  of  the  Father's 
glory" — "The  image  of  the  invisible  God,  by  whom  all 
things  were  created,  that  are  in  heaven,  and  in  the  earth, 
visible  and  invisible,  whether  they  be  thrones,  or  domin- 
ions, or  principalities,  or  powers;  who  is  before  all  things, 
and  by  whom  all  things  consist" — "  In  whom  all  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Godhead  dwells  bodily" — "Whom  all  the 
angels  of  God  do  worship."  0  the  blessedness  of  this 
revelation !  To  Him  the  enlightened  soul  now  ascribes 
all  excellencies  and  every  good  and  perfect  gift,  whether 
moral  or  material, — all  the  intellectual  endowments  of 
men  and  angels,  all  the  splendor  of  the  Sun  and  moon 
and  stars,  all  the  grandeur  of  the  visible  universe.  All 
now  seem  to  speak  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  created 
them.  In  the  varied  and  charming  scenes  of  nature,  he 
contemplates  with  unspeakable  delight  the  benignity  of 
their  Divine  Author;  in  its  sublime  objects,  he  admires 
his  wisdom  and  power  and  goodness ;  and  in  its  awful 
and  terrible  ones,  he  adores  his  majesty  and  greatness. 
The  world  is  to  him  as  a  magnificent  temple,  illumined  by 
the  glory  of  its  adorable  Builder,  and  filled  with  the 
incense  of  praise  arising  from  a  thousand  different  altars! 
The  entrance  of  the  Divine  light  also  reveals  Christ 
in  an  entirely  new  character  as  a  Teacher.  A  good  and 
wise  instructor  of  the  people  he  might  have  been  re- 
garded before ;  but  his  teaching  was  felt  to  possess  no 
special   interest,  to   involve   no   personal   concern,  or   to 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  227 

come  with  any  binding  authority ;  his  Gospel  was  read 
in  much  the  same  manner  and  spirit  as  were  the  Epistles 
of  Seneea,  or  the  Meditations  of  Antoninus.  But  now, 
that  light  from  on  high  has  entered  the  soul,  he  speaks 
as  man  never  spake;  his  words — they  are  spirit  and  they 
are  life,  more  to  be  desired  than  gold,  yea,  than  much 
fine  gold,  sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honey-comb. 
"As  a  Prophet,"  says  one  who  had  experienced  this  Di- 
vine illumination,  "  how  sweet  are  his  instructions  to  a 
bewildered  soul !  How  precious  the  words  of  his  lips, 
which  are  the  words  of  eternal  life  !  How  delightful  to 
sit  and  hear  him  teach  the  way  of  duty  and  happiness, 
revealing  the  Father,  and  the  wonders  of  the  invisible 
state  !  How  transporting  to  hear  him  declare  upon  what 
terms  an  offended  God  may  be  reconciled ;  a  discovery 
beyond  the  searches  of  all  the  sages  and  philosophers  of 
the  heathen  world.  How  reviving  is  it  to  listen  to  his 
gracious  promises  and  invitations;  promises  and  invita- 
tions to  the  poor,  the  weary,  and  heavy-laden,  the  broken- 
hearted, and  even  to  the  chief  of  sinners !  The  words 
of  Christ  have  been  my  treasure,  my  support,  and  my  joy, 
as  they  have  been  to  believers  in  all  ages.  Never  man 
spake  as  the  man  Christ  Jesus !  " 

A  beam  of  spiritual  light  entering  the  dark  mind  of 
man  reveals  Christ,  likewise,  as  an  Atoning  Sacrifice 
under  a  totally  different  aspect.  While  in  his  blindness, 
engrossed  with  the  interests  of  time  and  immersed  in  the 
pursuits  of  the  world,  he  neither  knew  his  guilt  nor  saw 
his  need  of  a  Saviour.  The  death  of  Clirist  was  to  him 
but  an  untoward  event,  but  an  unhappy  termination 
of  a  good  man's  life.  He  viewed  it  as  brought  about 
simply  by  the  unreasonable  opposition  and  rage  of  his 
enemies,  as  that  of  a  thousand  other  great  and  good  men 
had  been.     He  saw  not  that  the  hand  of  God  was  con- 


<J28  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

cerned  in  it,  or  that  the  purposes  of  his  grace  were  ful- 
filled by  it,  or  that  the  salvation  of  the  world  was  to  be 
secured  through  it.  He  realized  not  that  there  was  in 
his  own  spiritual  condition  or  character  anything  that  de- 
manded such  a  sacrifice  on  his  behalf.  Hence  the  death 
of  Christ  was  to  him  but  as  the  death  of  a  martyr,  or  of 
one  of  the  persecuted  prophets.  But  now  that  his  soul 
is  enlightened,  he  sees  in  the  death  of  the  cross  his  only 
hope  of  life ;  sees  that  Christ  was  delivered  by  the  deter- 
minate counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God  to  be  crucified 
and  slain,  to  atone  for  the  sin  of  the  world ;  sees  and 
believes  that  in  virtue  of  his  sacrifice  alone  he  can  find 
pardon,  regain  the  favor  of  God,  and  inherit  eternal  life. 
Oh,  how  changed  are  now  all  his  views  of  the  amazing 
scene  of  Calvary  !  How  widely  different  the  sentiments 
and  emotions  with  which  he  contemplates  the  agony  and 
death  of  the  bleeding  Lamb  of  God  !  Having  discovered 
his  own  deep  sinfulness,  and  felt  the  keen  pangs  of  guilt, 
how  the  sight  moves  and  melts  his  soul ;  how  it  calms 
his  troubled  conscience,  and  soothes  his  anxious  heart; 
how  it  changes  the  frowns  of  justice  into  the  smiles  of 
love,  and  the  apprehensions  of  vengeance  into  delightful 
hopes  of  mere}'!  0  how  precious  does  Jesus  now  appear, 
with  full  atoning  blood  flowing  from  his  sacred  veins, 
with  assurance  of  free  forgiveness  upon  his  gracious  lips, 
and  with  his  cross  in  his  hand,  as  a  key,  to  open  wide  the 
gates  of  heaven  for  his  admission  there ! 

"  Oh !  the  sweet  wonders  of  that  cross, 

Where  God,  my  Saviour,  groan'd  and  died! 
My  noblest  life  her  spirit  draws 

From  his  dear  wounds  and  bleeding  side." 

Let  but  the  gentle  rays  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
enter  and  illumine  the  soul,  and  he  is  at  once  seen  and 
recognized   as  a  Divine   Friend,  becomes  the  object  of 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  229 

supreme  love,  and  the  source  of  the  most  sacred  joj. 
While  living  in  darkness,  Christ  was  to  him  but  as  a  dim 
and  distant  character  who  had  long  ages  since  vanished 
from  the  world ;  or,  if  regarded  as  still  living,  yet  was  so 
far  removed  from  this  earthly  scene  as  to  be  little  con- 
cerned about  its  affairs,  and  much  less  about  individual 
interests.  What  degree  of  belief  he  had  in  his  existence 
and  character  yielded  neither  support,  nor  comfort,  nor 
hope.  But  now,  that  the  heavenly  light  is  come,  Christ 
is  seen  to  be  a  Saviour  near  at  hand,  and  not  afar  off; 
seen  and  felt  to  be  a  living  present  Friend.  Yea,  he  is 
now  felt  to  dwell  and  reign  within,  shedding  abroad  his 
love  in  the  heart,  and  sweetly  bending  all  his  faculties 
and  affections  into  harmony  with  his  own  holy  will.  Oh, 
Christ  is  now  his  light  and  life  and  highest  joy !  He  is 
associated  with  all  that  he  beholds,  and  with  all  that  he 
experiences.  Every  blessing  recalls  him  as  the  Giver, 
every  deliverance  as  his  Preserver,  every  sorrow  as  his 
Comforter,  every  sin  as  his  Redeemer.  When  he  closes 
his  eyes  at  night,  his  last  conscious  breath  is  spent  in 
prayer  to  him  ;  and  when  he  opens  them  in  the  morning, 
his  first  thoughts  still  ascend  to  him.  And  when  he  goes 
forth  to  the  duties  of  the  day,  he  is  perpetually  reminded 
of  his  presence.  Every  event  and  incident  of  life  brings 
Christ  before  his  mind.  If  he  is  favored  with  riches, 
Christ  is  still  his  crowning  treasure,  his  pearl  of  greatest 
price;  or,  if  he  is  doomed  to  poverty,  the  love  of  Christ 
is  better  to  him  than  the  gold  of  Ophir,  or  the  merchan- 
dise of  Tyre,  or  the  wealth  of  Babylon.  Christ  is  his  all 
in  all.  His  soul  is  penetrated  and  pervaded  by  a  lively 
and  constant  experience  of  the  excellencies  of  him  who  is 
the  chief  among  ten  thousand  and  the  one  altogether 
lovely.  0  could  angels  teach  him  their  heavenly  strains 
— could  he  speak   in   those   burning  seraphic  words  of 


230  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

whicli  Paul  testifies  that  it  is  not  possible  for  man  to  utter 
them  ! — he  feels  that  he  could  not  number  his  marvellous 
acts  of  love,  or  show  forth  half  his  praise ;  could  not  de- 
scribe what  to  his  soul  he  already  is,  much  less  what  he 
hopes  he  will  hereafter  be. 

What,  then,  are  the  discoveries  made  by  the  man  of 
science  in  his  dark  room  concerning  the  Sun  of  nature, 
all  marvellous  and  sublime  as  they  may  be,  but  emblems, 
and  faint  emblems,  of  these  Divine  revelations  made  by 
a  beam  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  ?  If  those  fill  the 
philosopher  with  wonder  and  delight,  these  ravish  the 
souls  of  saints  and  transport  even  the  angels  of  heaven 
wdth  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory ! 

' '  O  Christ,  the  Lamb  of  God !     Thou  my  all : 
My  theme,  my  inspiration,  and  my  crown ; 
My  strength  in  age,  my  rise  in  low  estate, 
My  soul's  ambition,  pleasure,  wealth  ;  my  world; 
My  light  in  darkness,  and  my  life  in  death ; 
My  boast  through  time,  bliss  through  eternity — 
Eternity  too  short  to  speak  thy  praise, 
Or  fathom  thy  profound  of  love  to  man — 
To  man  of  men  the  meanest,  e'en  to  me. 
My  Sacrifice !  ojy  God! — what  things  are  these!" 


ANALOGY  VIII. 

As  each  color  in  the  Sunhcam  has  its  complen'icntal  color,  and  the  observance 
of  this  relation  in  nature  lends  to  it  its  highest  charms — so  each  doctrine 
of  the  Snn  of  Righteousness  has  its  complemental  doctrine,  ^cJdle  all  are 
so  related  as  to  form  a  harmonious  stjsiem  of  truth  and  grace. 

Phenomena. 

No  feature  in  the  system  of  Creation,  perhaps,  is  more 

remarkable  than  the  fewness  and  the  simplicity  of  the 

means  employed  to  accomplish  great  and  various  ends. 

Man's  first  conceptions  of  nature,  in  all  her  departments. 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  2?1 

have  been  in  general  of  a  very  intricate  character ;  and 
the  progress  of  Natural  Science  with  scarce  an  exception 
has  been  from  the  more  complex  to  the  more  simple. 
The  earher  theory  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  for  example, 
was  one  of  wonderful  complexity ;  to  account  for  the  ap- 
parent progressive  and  retrogressive  motions  of  the  planets, 
crystalHne  sphere  revolving  within  crystalline  sphere  to 
the  number  of  nearly  one  hundred  had  to  be  imagined, 
and  none  but  keen  and  logical  minds  were  capable  of 
taking  in  the  theory  which  Hipparchus  and  Ptolemy  with 
infinite  ingenuity  had  propounded.  But  study  and  more 
correct  knowledge  reduced  all  this  to  a  simplicity  that  a 
child  can  comprehend.  So  with  the  forces  of  nature ; 
these  were  long  supposed  to  be  a  legion,  but  the  investi- 
gation of  later  times  greatly  reduced  their  number;  and 
the  science  of  to-day  has  come  to  regard  all  forces  as 
simply  modifications  of  one  general  force.  The  materials 
composing  the  solid  globe,  likewise,  were  wont  to  be  ac- 
counted as  well-nigh  innumerable ;  but  the  scrutiny  and 
analysis  of  the  present  day  has  brought  them  down  to  a 
comparatively  small  number.  The  same  statement  may 
be  made  in  regard  to  the  vegetable  productions  of  the 
globe ;  these,  exhibiting  as  they  do  in  their  individual 
forms,  odors  and  flavors  an  endless  variety,  yet  are  found 
to  be  all  composed  of  a  few  essential  elements.  And  the 
living  tenants  of  our  world,  though  numbering  from  least 
to  greatest  so  many  millions,  and  differing  so  widely  in 
their  sizes  and  forms,  places  of  habitation,  and  modes  of 
existence,  are  all  discovered  to  be  formed  on  a  few  general 
systems  of  structure. 

What  is  thus  true  of  science  in  general  is  true  of  that 
particular  branch  of  it,  Light  and  Colors,  with  which  we 
are  now  concerned.    Newton,  as  has  already  been  stated,''' 

*See  Part  II.,  Analogy  2. 


232  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

held  that  there  were  seven  simple  primitive  colors — red, 
orange,  yellow,  green,  blue,  indigo  and  violet.  And  this 
was  long  regarded  as  an  established  theory ;  at  length, 
however,  there  came  forward  minds  that  conceived  the 
idea  that  this  might  not  be  in  harmony  with  the  general 
simplicity  of  nature's  economy.  By  careful  and  repeated 
experiments.  Ray,  Field,  Brewster  and  others  were  led 
to  a  different  conclusion,  and  reduced  the  primitive  colors 
to  three  only — yellow,  red  and  blue.  The  proof  of  this 
new  theory  lies  in  the  fact  that,  as  the  combination  of 
Newton's  seven  prismatic  colors  produced  white  light,  so 
the  combination  of  these  three  will  produce  white  light. 
Hence  it  is  regarded  as  certain  that  yellow,  red  and  blue 
contain  all  the  shades  of  color  embraced  in  the  pure 
sunbeam. 

These  three  primary  colors  have  been  proved  by 
Field,  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner,  to  be  in  numerical 
proportional  power  as  follows, — yellow  three,  r^di  five,  and 
blue  eight.  When  these  three  colors  are  reflected  from 
any  opaque  body  in  these  proportions  white  is  produced. 
The  absence  of  them  all  is  black. 

The  tliree  Primary  Colors,  mixed  together,  two  and 
two,  produce  what  are  called  secondary  colors,  viz.,  red 
and  yellow  mixed  give  orange;  yellow  and  blue  mixed 
give  green  ;  and  red  and  blue  mixed  give  purple.  The 
hue  and  tint  of  all  these  Secondaries  will  be  varied 
according  to  the  proportion  in  which  the  Primaries  are 
combined. 

Again  :  from  combinations  of  the  Secondaries  are  pro- 
duced throe  TERTIARY  colors  ;  orange  and  green  combined 
produce  citrine;  green  and  purple  combined  produce 
olive;  and  orange  and  purple  combined  produce  russet. 
And  as  before,  the  proportions  in  which  the  Secondaries 
are  mixed  will  vary  the  hue  or  tint  of  the  Tertiaries. 


I.    RED 

2  ORANGE 

3  YELLOW 

4  GREEN 

5.  BLUE 

6.  PURPLE 


7  RED  PURPLE 

8  RED  ORANGE 

9  YELLOW  ORANGE 

10  YELLOW  GREEN 

11  BLUE  GREEN 

12  BLUE  PURPLE 


13  DARK  PURPLE 

14.  RUSSET 

15  DARK  ORANGE 

16'  CITRINE 

17,  DARK  GREEN 

18  OLIVE 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  235 

In  this  way  all  the  shades  and  hues  and  tints  of  colors 
in  existence  are  produced  from  the  three  Primary  Colors 
' — ^yellow,  red  and  blue. 

In  the  language  of  science,  any  two  colors  are  said  to 
be  Complemental  to  each  other  when  they  together  make 
up  the  white  beam.  Thus  red  and  green  (the  latter 
being  a  composite  of  yellow  and  blue)  are  complemental, 
because  the  two  combined  make  white.  So  also  purple 
and  yellow,  orange  and  blue,  are  respectively  comple- 
mental. This  is  a  fact  to  be  specially  noticed  and 
remembered  in  the  study  of  colors. 

The  sensibilities  of  the  organ  of  vision  are  constituted 
with  special  reference  to  the  combination  and  association 
of  colors.  Hence  Infinite  Wisdom  ordained  that  those 
colors  which  are  most  agreeable  to  the  eye  should  be  the 
most  prevalent  in  nature — the  soft  blue  which  overspreads 
the  skies  and  the  seas,  and  the  refreshing  green  which 
clothes  the  face  of  all  the  dry  land.  Moreover,  the  eye 
experiences  a  special  pleasure  in  contemplating  comple- 
mental colors  side  by  side,  or  under  its  view  at  the  same 
time.  Complemental  colors,  w^iile  they  are  always  in 
harmony,  yet  beautifully  contrast  with  each  other,  each 
enhancing  the  pleasure  which  the  other  imparts.  Where 
colors  that  are  not  complemental  come  in  contact,  the 
impression  upon  the  eye  is  not  pleasing;  a  sense  of 
disharmony  is  produced,  though  the  observer  may  not  be 
aware  of  the  cause.  An  intervening  streak  of  black  or 
white,  which  are  in  harmony  with  all  colors,  removes 
this  unpleasantness;  and  such  a  streak  is  often  intro- 
duced in  the  colorings  of  nature,  apparently  for  this  very 
end ;  and  man,  catching  at  the  lesson,  now,  when  he 
finds  it  necessary,  employs  the  same  means  of  relief  in 
his  works  of  art. 

In  that  able  and   interesting  work,  Ti/pical  Forms  and 


236  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Special  Ends  in  Creation,  the  following  diagram  is  em- 
ployed for  the  purpose  of  showing  at  a  glance  what  colors 
are  complemental  to  each  other.  "  In  this  figure,"  says 
the  author,  "we  have  the  three  Primary  colors,  red  and 
yellow  and  blue ;  and  the  three  Secondaries,  orange  and 
green  and  purple,  with  the  hues  of  the  Secondaries  on 
either  side.  We  have  also  the  tertiaries,  citrine  and  olive 
and  russet.  The  diasrram  is  so  constructed  that  the  colors 
in  corresponding  segments  of  opposite  circles  are  comple- 
mentary, and  so  in  harmony.  Thus,  red  and  green,  blue 
and  orange,  yellow  and  purple,  are  complementary. 
According  to  the  hue  of  any  particular  Secondary,  so  is 
also  tlie  hue  of  its  complement.  Thus,  a  pure  purple 
requires  a  yellow,  but  a  red  purple  requires  a  yellow 
green,  and  a  blue  purple  a  yellow  orange,  as  the  comple- 
mentary color;  and  so  of  all  other  Secondaries.  The 
Tertiary  citrine  is  in  harmony  with  a  dark  purple,  olive 
with  a  dark  orange,  and  russet  with  a  dark  green." 

These  facts  in  regard  to  the  complemental  nature  and 
harmonious  blending  of  colors,  though  always  and  every- 
where displayed  in  the  face  of  nature,  have  but  recently 
been  recognized  and  turned  to  practical  purposes  by  man. 
It  is  by  the  study  of  the  laws  observed  by  the  Creator  in 
arraying  the  flowers  of  the  field,  the  plumage  of  birds, 
and  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  that  the  artist  has  been 
enabled  to  attain  his  highest  excellencies  in  painting 
the  landscape,  constructing  his  stained  windows,  and  pro- 
ducing his  finest  tapestry. 

The  common  idea,  however,  even  to  this  day,  is,  that 
colors  in  the  scenes  and  objects  of  nature  follow  no  laws, 
but  are  scattered  indiscriminately  over  the  face  of  the 
earth.  This  is  a  wide  mistake  ;  amid  the  greatest  seeming 
irregularities,  the  scientific  eye  can  discover  the  observ- 
ance of  fixed  rules.     Plan  and  system  are  clearly  discern- 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  237 

ible  in  the  arrangement  of  the  infinitely  diversified  colors 
that  prevail  throughout  both  the  vegetable  and  animal 
worlds.  Harmony,  beautiful  harmony  often  appears  in 
the  way  in  which  differing  plants  are  associated  in 
nature.  Man,  in  his  cultivated  fields,  sometimes  brings 
together  inharmonious  colors;  but  in  nature's  own  fields, 
the  expansive  prairies  and  wild  mountain  sides,  where 
she  is  allowed  to  sow  her  own  seed  and  raise  her  own 
plants,  she  commonly  distributes  her  colors  in  a  manner 
most  graceful  and  pleasing.  But  it  is  when  we  come  to 
examine  the  finish  of  the  individual  plant  that  we  dis- 
cover the  laws  of  coloring  in  their  perfection.  In  the 
flower,  be  it  of  whatever  sort  it  may,  every  spot  occupies 
its  proper  place;  and  every  tint,  every  shade,  every  hue, 
that  beautifies  it,  is  in  pleasing  accordance  with  all  that 
is  associated  with  it.  We  never  find  non-complemental 
or  inharmonious  colors  in  contact  on  the  same  plant,  or 
in  one  and  the  same  flower.  The  association  of  colors, 
throughout  the  floral  world,  is  in  strict  conformity  to 
the  most  beautiful  laws;  and  he  who  can  contemplate 
nature  in  the  light  of  these  laws,  has  opened  up  to  him 
a  source  of  never-ceasing  gratification  arising  from  har- 
monies and  accordances  which  are  lost  or  unknown  to 
the  uninstructed  mind.  In  illustration  of  all  this  we  now 
direct  the  reader's  attention  to  a  few  familiar  examples. 

As  has  been  stated,  and  as  may  be  seen  in  the  preced- 
ing figure,  Red  is  ilie  complemental  color  of  Green.  These 
two  are  ever  in  pleasing  harmony.  Now,  wherever  in 
nature  the  flower  is  red,  it  associates  agreeably  with  the 
green  leaves  around  it.  How  beautiful  and  how  pleasing 
to  the  eye  the  blushing  rose,  the  crimson  cherry  and  the 
red  berries  of  the  mountain  ash,  peeping  forth  from  among 
the  tufts  of  dark  green  leaves  around  them!  So  delicate 
are  the  adjustments  of  nature,  that  it  has  been  observed, 

15 


238  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

that  according  to  the  hue  of  the  green  so  is  the  hue  of  the 
red  associated  with  it. 

By  reference  to  the  diagram,  it  will  also  be  seen,  that 
Yellow  is  the  complemental  of  Purple.  These,  like  the 
former,  are  always  harmonious.  It  is  well  known  that 
purple  is  the  most  common  color  of  the  petals  of  flowers; 
and  in  beautiful  contrast  with  this  we  find  that  to  the 
centre  of  the  flower  has  been  given  a  yellow  color.  In 
the  polyanthus,  and  in  many  varieties  of  auricula,  the 
outer  rim  of  the  corolla  is  purple,  and  the  circle  within  is  of 
a  corresponding  shade  of  yellow.  In  other  flowers  the  com- 
plemental yellow  is  found  in  the  anthers  or  pollen.  In- 
deed, as  the  most  frequent  color  of  petals  is  purple,  so 
the  most  common  color  of  the  pollen  is  yellow.  And, 
as  before,  it  is  a  striking  f^ict  that,  according  to  the  hue 
of  the  purple,  so  is  the  associated  hue  of  the  yellow. 

Again  :  Blue  is  the  complemental  of  Orange.  These, 
likewise,  we  find  in  pleasing  harmony  wherever  they 
come  to2:ether  in  the  svstem  of  vesretation  with  which 
our  globe  is  adorned.  In  the  class  of  flowers  named 
Strelitzia,  the  sepals  are  orange  and  the  petals  are  blue; 
in  the  Lupines  the  reddish-blue  petals  are  associated  with 
the  reddish-yellow  anthers;  and  in  the  cheerful  little 
Forget-me-not,  we  have  a  border  of  blue  purple  and  a 
centre  of  yellow  orangre. 

Into  the  details  and  minutiaa  of  this  part  of  the  sub- 
ject our  plan  will  not  allow  us  to  enter :  suflicc  it  to  say 
that,  these  beautiful  harmonies  are  found  in  plants  be- 
longing to  all  the  principal  divisions  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  and  that  they  pass  through  a  cycle  of  pleasing 
variations  corresponding  to  the  cycle  of  the  seasons  of 
the  year. 

In  making  up  a  bouquet,  or  grouping  flowers  in  a  gar- 
den, the   most   beautiful  and  pleasing  efiects  are  secured 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  239 

by  following  the  unerring  rules  of  nature.  "  The  prin- 
cipal rule  to  be  observed  in  the  arrangement  of  flowers," 
says  Chevreul,  "is  to  place  the  blue  next  the  orange,  and 
the  violet  next  the  yellow,  while  red  and  pink  flowers 
are  never  seen  to  greater  advantage  than  when  surrounded 
by  verdure  and  by  white  flowers;  the  latter  may  also  be 
advantageously  dispersed  among  groups  formed  of  blue 
and  orange,  and  of  violet  and  yellow  flowers."  And  all 
this  is  precisely  the  order  followed  by  nature  throughout 
her  domains. 

The  harmony  of  colors,  thus  observable  in  the  floral 
world,  students  of  nature  find  to  prevail  also  in  the  plu- 
mage of  birds,  in  the  variegated  coats  of  insects,  and  even 
in  the  shells  of  mollusca. 

"  Surrounded  as  we  are  by  such  harmonies,"  says  Dr. 
McCosh,  "^  we  are  convinced  that  whenever  the  mind  seeks 
for  them  it  will  discover  them  ;  nay,  the  eye  fixes  on  them 
when  it  is  not  designedly  seeking  for  them,  and  rejoices 
in  them  when  it  can  give  no  account  of  the  cause  of  its 
joy.  At  the  same  time,  the  contemplative  intellect  ex- 
periences a  further  pleasure,  and  a  pleasure  of  its  own, 
when  it  can  scientifically  explain  to  itself  the  source  of 
all  tl)is  enjoyment,  and  sj^stematically  look  out  for  the 
pleasing  associations  of  nature. 

''The  heart,  rightly  tuned  to  the  praise  of  its  Maker, 
will  experience  a  further  pleasure.  Present  to  a  skilful 
colorist  an  article  of  human  workmanship,  constructed 
accordina;  to  the  rules  of  simultaneous  contrast  in  color- 
ing,  and  he  will  at  once  say,  Here  are  art  and  design. 
Place  before  him  a  piece  of  Gobelin  tapestry,  one  of  our 
finer  carpets,  or  the  stained  glass  of  a  window,  and  he 
will  perceive  at  a  glance  that  the  associations  of  color 
are  not  accidental,  but  that  they  are  purposely  suited  to 
the.  physiological  and  psychical  nature  in  man.     We  are 


240  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

convinced  that  there  are  equally  clear  proofs  of  contrivance 
in  the  coloring  of  natural  objects,  organic  and  inorganic. 
Complementary  colors  appear  so  often  in  nature,  and 
come  up  under  such  different  modifications,  and  in  such 
a  variety  of  objects  and  situations,  that  their  conjunction 
cannot  be  the  result  of  chance.  He  who  can  trace  up 
all  these  adaptations  to  Him  who  causes  His  works  to 
make  sweet  music  by  their  harmony,  has  surely  here  a 
source  of  higher — we  should  say  rather,  of  highest  joy." 
In  the  Book  of  Psalms  it  is  written :  "  The  Lord  shall 
rejoice  in  his  works ; "  and  from  the  lesson  which  the 
Lord  of  angels  and  men  reads  to  us  from  the  flowers  of 
the  field,  we  may  be  sure  that  he  had  often  bent  over 
them  in  devout  admiration,  and  contemplated  their  beauty 
with  infinite  delight ;  for  none  but  one  whose  attention 
had  been  in  this  way  arrested  and  impressed  could  have 
tlius  spoken  : — "  Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they 
grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin  :  and  yet  I  say 
unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not 
arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore  if  God  so  clothe 
the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is 
cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  0 
ye  of  little  faith?" 

Teachings. 

Pleasing  and  instructive  as  it  is  thus  to  trace  the  agency 
of  light  amid  the  objects  and  scenes  of  the  world  of  matter, 
much  more  so  is  it  to  contemplate  the  light  of  Divine 
Truth,  which  it  so  beautifully  typifies,  in  its  operations 
in  the  world  of  mind.  In  the  Sun's  light,  whose  com- 
bined and  associated  colors  so  enliven  and  adorn  the  globe 
upon  which  we  dwell,  we  have  a  most  interesting  emblem 
and  illustration  of  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
whose  beams  illumine  and  animate  the  immortal  spirits 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  241 

of  mankind.  As  every  individual  object  and  every  ex- 
panded scene  which  the  earth  presents  to  the  eye  of  man 
owes  its  coloring  and  its  grandeur  to  the  light  of  the  Sun, 
so  every  inspiring  truth  and  every  happy  prospect  which 
opens  up  to  the  view  of  his  faith,  is  due  to  the  light  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 

We  have  seen  that  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  nature  is 
constituted  of  three  primary  colors,  and  that  from  these 
are  composed  every  other  shade  and  hue  and  tint  of  color 
that  diversify  the  face  of  nature.  The  light  which  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  shed  upon  the  world,  likewise,  is 
composed  of  three  primary  truths  or  doctrines — the  Sin- 
fulness of  man,  the  Atonement  of  the  cross,  and  the  Grace 
of  the  Spirit;  and  from  these  three  fundamental  doctrines 
spring  all  the  other  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  For  examples, 
from  the  atonement,  in  its  relation  to  sin,  spring  the  doc- 
trines of  justification  by  faith  and  the  forgiveness  of  sin  ; 
from  the  grace  of  the  Spirit  affecting  the  sinful  nature  of 
man  spring  the  doctrines  of  the  new  birth  and  the  sancti- 
fication  of  the  soul;  from  the  love  displayed  in  the  death 
of  the  cross  and  the  grace  manifested  in  the  gift  of  the 
Spirit  proceed  the  doctrines  of  holy  obedience  and  entire 
consecration  to  the  service  of  God.  So  every  other  doc- 
trine and  duty  set  forth  in  the  Gospel;  like  the  colors 
of  nature,  all  have  their  origin  in,  and  derive  their 
life  and  complexion  from,  these  three  primary  and  funda- 
mental truths. 

If  we  combine  the  three  primary  colors  of  the  sunbeam, 
as  therein  found,  we  shall  have  pure  white  light;  but  if 
we  take  more  of  one  or  less  of  another  than  we  find  there, 
the  combination  will  not  yield  white  light,  but  something 
of  a  more  or  less  dark  shade.  So  with  the  light  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness;  if  we  take  and  unite  the  three 
fundamental  doctrines,  as  they  proceeded  from  him,  we 


242  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

shall  have  what  may  be  appropriately  represented  by 
pure  ichlte  light,  that  is,  a  perfect  and  harmonious  system 
of  truth.  Btit  if  we  bring  together  defective  or  exag- 
gerated views  of  either  of  these — of  human  depravity 
and  Christ's  atonement,  or  of  the  agency  of  man  and  the 
office  of  the  Spirit,  as  is  often  done  in  human  creeds — we 
shall  have  before  us  a  system  of  belief  that  is  neither 
harmonious  in  its  parts,  nor  cheering  in  its  aspect.  Error 
in  a  man's  view  of  any  one  of  these  three  great  and 
primary  truths  will  give  a  corresponding  tinge  to  his 
view  of  every  other  Gospel  truth  and  duty.  Wise  and 
happy  is  be  who  is  willing  to  receive,  and  content  to 
abide  by,  the  simple  but  unerring  teachings  of  Jesus. 

The  face  of  nature  may  be  regarded  as  a  magnificent 
picture,  in  which  all  its  figures  and  beauties  are  displayed 
on  a  ground  of  soft  and  refreshing  green ;  so  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  the  coloring  which  underlies  all  its  doctrines 
and  precepts,  warnings  and  encouragements,  promises 
and  prospects,  is  that  of  the  green  pasture  of  mercy  and 
grace.  This  meets  and  delights  the  eye  whithersoever 
it  turns,  whether  to  the  revelations  of  the  prophets,  the 
narratives  of  the  evangelists,  or  the  letters  of  the  apostles. 
Grateful  should  we  be  that  the  face  of  nature  is  not 
clothed  in  one  gloomy  black,  or  glaring  white,  or  crimson 
red;  for  how  weary  to  the  mind,  and  how  painful  to  the 
eye  would  all  tlris  be  :  but  oh !  how  much  more  thankful 
that  the  messages  of  God  come  not  to  us  inscribed  on  the 
dazzling  ground  of  justice,  or  on  the  flaming  face  of 
vengeance,  but  on  the  sweet  verdure  of  a  Father's  love! 

In  the  fields  of  nature,  as  has  been  stated,  colors  are 
distributed  and  associated  according  to  the  beauLiful  laws 
of  complemental  harmony;  and  the  same  holds  true  in 
the  fields  of  scripture.  The  truths  of  the  Bible  and  the 
facts  of  nature,  the  grace  of  God  and  the  necessities  of 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  243 

man,  are  in  mutual  adaptation  and  perfect  correspondence 
throughout.  If  we  examine  the  promises  of  God,  which, 
like  fragrant  and  beauteous  flowers,  are  scattered  and 
waving  over  the  fair  face  of  the  Gospel  Field,  we  shall  find 
them  all  complemental  to  human  wants,  and  all  harmo- 
nious with  one  another.  Associated  with  every  need  of 
man  we  discover  the  most  fitting  provision  of  grace — en- 
compassing his  iveakness  we  see  bright  promises  of  Divine 
help ;  overarching  his  sins  we  behold  inscribed,  as  in  the 
colors  of  the  bow  of  peace,  assurances  of  God's  readiness  to 
forgive  ;  side  by  side  with  his  errors  and  ignorance,  like  the 
alternate  dark  and  white  petals  of  the  flower,  we  discover 
promises  of  heavenly  light  and  guidance ;  encircling  his 
native  frailty,  as  the  pure  white  lily-cup  its  trembling 
anthera,  we  find  assurances  of  the  Divine  compassion; 
and  for  the  refreshing  of  his  soul,  as  the  crystal  drops  do 
the  bending  rose,  we  see  ready  to  descend  the  dews  of 
heaverdjj  grace.  Delightful  as  are  the  agencies  of  the  Sun 
of  nature,  and  pleasing  as  are  the  beauties  with  which  it 
clothes  the  flowers  of  the  field,  infinitely  more  so  are  the 
benignant  influences  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and 
the  harmony  of  the  dispensations  of  his  grace. 

The  laws  of  colors  teach  us,  that  when  two  colors  that 
are  complemental  to  each  other,  as  red  and  green,  or 
blue  and  orange,  or  yellow  and  purple,  are  placed  side 
by  side,  they  mutually  heighten  the  eflect  of  each  other; 
each  makes  each  more  intense  and  appear  to  the  highest 
advantage.  Similar  effects  attend  the  collocation  of  the 
doci lines  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Under  no  circum- 
stances does  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  grace  appear 
so  precious  as  when  placed  bet^ide  a  state  of  condemnation 
by  the  law.  In  no  connection  does  the  doctrine  of  regen- 
eration through  the  Spirit  appear  so  delightful  and 
cheering  as  when  placed  beside  the  native  depravity  and 


244  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

corruption  of  man.  And  the  atonement,  which,  in  a 
sense,  is  the  complement  of  our  fallen  nature,  presenting 
to  Divine  Justice  all  that  of  which  we  are  destitute,  and 
meeting  all  the  demands  of  the  law  whi»h  we  could  not 
do — where  does  this  appear  so  resplendent  with  the  Divine 
Mercy  and  Love,  as  when  viewed  beside  the  rebellion, 
ingratitude  and  sin,  for  which  it  was  made.  0,  it  is  the 
contemplation  of  these,  in  contrast,  that  imparts  their 
highest  inspiration  to  the  anthems  of  heaven.  Hear  that 
song  loud  as  the  voice  of*  many  waters — "  Unto  him  that 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood, 
and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father,  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion,  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen." 


ANALOGY  IX. 

WMle  the  Sun  sheds  the  same  light  on  the  face  of  all  nature,  yet  different 
objects  reflect  di^'erent  rays  of  that  light,  and  thiis  appear  in  vMriovs 
colors— so,  while  the  Sun  of  Itighteousness  bestows  the  same  light  of 
truth  on  all,  yet  different  individuals  reflect  that  truth  under  di^erent 
phases,  and  thus  exhibit  a  variety  of  characters. 

Phenomena. 
Of  the  numberless  contrivances  and  adaptations  observ- 
able in  creation,  that  have  a  direct  reference  to  the 
welfare  of  man,  the  colorings  of  nature  hold  an  eminent 
rank.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  number  or  magni- 
tude of  .the  benefits  which  we  daily  derive  from  colors — 
mere  colors;  and  no  .serious  man  can  intelligently  con- 
template the  moans  which  the  all-wise  Creator  has 
employed  to  produce  those  colors,  in  all  their  variety, 
without  being  filled  with  wonder,  and  inspired  with  senti- 
ments of  devotion. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  245 

In  the  preceding  analogies,  we  have  stated,  and  at 
some  length  illustrated  the  fact,  that  all  colors  have  their 
origin  in  the  white  light  of  the  Sun.  Yet  this  alone  does 
not  explain,  or  fully  account  for  the  endless  variety  of 
coloring  which  diversifies  the  general  scenery  and  dis- 
tinguishes the  particular  objects  emVjraced  within  it. 
The  particular  color  of  a  substance  depends  upon  a  cer- 
tain relationship  between  its  molecular  constitution  and 
the  waves  of  light. 

Apart  from  light  all  bodies  or  substances  are  without 
color ;  that  is,  are  what  we  call  black.  There  is  no  color 
generated  by  any  object  or  material  whatever.  But  the 
various  substances  and  productions  of  nature  are  so  con- 
stituted in  their  ultimate  particles  or  molecules  as  to  be 
capable  of  reflecting  such  and  such  rays  only  of  the  sun- 
light that  fall  on  them  ;  and  the  color  of  these  reflected 
rays  is  t-lie  color  of  the  object  which  thus  throws  them 
back  upon  the  eye.  Natural  bodies  do  not  inherently 
possess  their  respective  colors,  much  less  create  them  ; 
they  simply  sift  the  colors  that  are  in  the  sunlight,  re- 
flecting a  part  of  them,  and  absorbing  or  quenching  all 
the  rest.  Hence  it  will  be  observed  that  it  is  the  portion 
of  light  which  they  reject,  and  not  that  \viiich  they  ab- 
sorb, that  gives  to  objects  their  colors.  A  geranium  is 
red  because  its  molecular  texture  is  such  that  it  reflects 
the  red  ra3^s  only,  while  it  absorbs  or  quenches  all  the 
rest ;  and  a  violet  is  blue  because  its  molecular  constitu- 
tion is  such  that  it  sends  back  to  the  eye  the  blue  rays 
only,  while  it  absorbs  all  the  yellow  and  red  constituents 
of  the  light. 

To  render  these  statements  more  clear  and  convincing, 
let  us  resort  to  an  experiment.  A  perfectly  black  sub- 
stance is  a  substance  that  is  incapable  of  reflecting  any 
of  the   Sun's  rays.     Take   a   piece  of  coal,  and   pass  it 


246  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

successively  through  Newton's  seven  prismatic  colors,  and 
it  is  still  perfectly  black  under  every  one  of  them ;  it  re- 
flects not  a  varying  tint  as  it  is  carried  from  one  extrem- 
ity of  the  spectrum  to  the  other.  Take  again  the  red 
petal  of  the  rose ;  the  molecular  constitution  of  this  is 
such,  that  it  can  reflect  rays  of  a  certain  color  only, 
namely,  red ;  to  prove  this,  pass  it  like  the  piece  of  coal 
through  the  seven  colors,  and  it  appears  black  as  jet 
under  every  one  of  them  except  the  red ;  this  alone  it  has 
power  to  reflect.  Take  now  a  green  leaf  fresh  from  the 
tree,  and  pass  it  slowly  through  the  spectrum  as  before; 
in  the  green  rays  it  shines  vividly  with  its  own  proper 
color;  but  under  each  of  the  remaining  colors  it  is  black 
as  the  lump  of  coal,  because  it  has  no  power  to  reflect 
any  of  them.  Thus  it  plainly  appears  that  natural  ob- 
jects acquire  their  respective  colors  by  a  constitutional 
provision,  whereby  they  sift  the  colors  combined  in  the 
pure  white  light  of  the  Sun,  and  absorb  part  and  reflect 
the  remainder  to  the  eye. 

Tliese  interesting  facts  may  be  beautifully  illustrated 
by  another  experiment.  Enter  a  perfectly  close  and  com- 
pact room  into  which  light  can  pass  only  through  a  single 
aperture,  say  a  foot  square.  Now  completely  cover  this 
aperture  with  a  pane  of  clear  crown  glass,  and  the  room 
is  filled  with  pure  white  light,  for  this  medium  is  such 
that  it  admits  all  the  rays'to  pass  freely  through  it.  Re- 
move this,  and  cover  the  opening  in  like  manner  with  a 
pane  of  red  glass,  and  the  room  is  now  filled  with  red 
light;  and  the  reason  is  that  the  molecular  texture  of 
this  o;lass  is  such  that  it  entirclv  extinnruishes  the  two 
other  primary  colors,  blue  and  yellow.'^  Eemove  this 
again,  and  substitute  for  it  a  pane  of  blue  glass,  and  the 
room  is  at  once  filled  with  blue  light;   because,  as  before, 

*See  tne  next  preceding  Analogy. 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  247 

the  molecular  constitution  of  this  quenches  the  remaining 
primary  colors,  red  and  yellow.  Now  take  the  red  glass 
and  lay  it  over  the  blue  in  the  aperture;  and  what  will 
then  be  the  color  of  the  light  in  the  room  ?  A  mixture 
of  red  and  blue  light?  No  such  thing,  but  perfect  dark- 
ness. And  the  reason  of  this  is  obvious, — the  rays  which 
pass  through  the  one  are  quenched  by  the  other.  The 
red  glass  quenches  all  other  colors,  including  the  yellow ; 
and  the  blue  does  the  same,  including  the  yellow.  Each 
pane  of  glass  by  itself  is  quite  transparent,  but  by  uniting 
the  red  and  blue,  therefore,  we  have  a  combination  as 
dark  as  pitch  to  the  solar  light. 

It  plainly  appears,  then,  that  all  objects,  all  substances, 
acquire  their  respective  colors  in  virtue  of  their  molecular 
constitution.  The  white  light  of  the  Sun,  the  sum  total 
of  all  possible  colors,  is  showered  down  upon  them,  and 
they,  by  the  condition  of  the  ultimate  particles  which 
compose  them,  sift  that  total,  and  reflect  the  rays  which 
give  to  them  their  particular  colors,  while  they  quench  all 
the  rest.  An  object  that  appears  green  has  its  molecules 
conditioned  to  reflect  green  rays ;  that  which  appears  yel- 
low, to  reflect  yellow  rays;  that  which  appears  purple,  to 
reflect  purple  rays ;  and  so  of  all  other  colors.  This  arrange- 
ment, by  which  all  nature  is  robed  in  the  charms  of  her 
varied  hues,  embraces  many  things  that  are  beyond  the 
research  and  even  the  comprehension  of  man  ;  yet  it  is  an 
arranirement  of  the  utmost  importance  to  his  welfare  and 
happiness. 

To  describe  all  the  advantages  and  all  the  pleasures 
we  daily  and  hourly  derive  from  the  diversified  colors  of 
natural  scenes  and  objects  would  be  to  write  volumes 
upon  volumes.  The  evidence  of  this  can  be  best  pre- 
sented, in  brief,  perhaps,  by  glancing  at  what  our  condi- 
tion would  be  were  all  objects  suddenly  to  fade  into  one 


248  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

color  or  shade.  It  is  difficult  to  realize,  even  in  imagina- 
tion, how  altered  our  condition  would  be  in  such  an  event 
— what  pleasures  and  conveniences  we  should  lose,  what 
disadvantages  and  dreariness  we  should  inherit.  The 
glories  of  the  landscape,  the  verdure  of  the  fields,  the 
beauties  of  the  garden,  the  charms  of  the  human  coun- 
tenance, and  the  variegation  of  human  garments  would 
vanish  and  delight  us  no  more.  The  pleasures  of  vision 
all  would  be  extinguished.  And  more  serious  evils  still 
than  all  these  would  inevitably  follow.  Were  the  pro- 
ductions and  substances  of  nature  without  distinctive 
colors,  or  were  the  same  unvaried  hue  spread  over  the 
face  of  creation,  we  should  be  in  a  thousand  instances 
unable  to  distinguish  one  object  from  another.  Looking 
abroad,  we  should  be  unable  to  distinguish  the  arid 
desert  from  the  fruitful  plain,  the  projecting  rocks  from 
human  habitations,  the  flocks  and  herds  from  the  pasture 
upon  which  they  fed.  We  should  stand  ever  and  anon 
in  doubt  whether  an  adjacent  field  had  just  been  furrowed 
by  the  plough,  or  bore  a  crop  ready  for  the  sickle;  whether 
the  tree  were  loaded  with  fruit,  or  clothed  only  with  leaves; 
whether  the  person  coming  to  meet  us  on  the  street  was 
an  officer  in  his  uniform  or  a  farmer  in  his  Sunday  suit, 
a  bride  in  her  ornaments  or  a  widow  in  her  weeds.  Such 
would  have  been  the  monotonous  and  dubious  aspect  of 
nature,  and  such  the  inconveniences  to  which  we  would 
have  been  subjected,  if  objects  had  not  been  constituted 
to  reflect  different  rays,  and  thus  to  wear  distinctive 
colors.  We  could  neither  identify  nor  distinguish  objects 
save  by  close  examination,  or  by  slow  trains  of  reasoning 
concerning  times,  places,  and  circumstances;  and  after  all 
this  we  sliould  still  remain  in  perpetual  uncertainty  as  to 
many  things  concerning  which  we  are  now  well  assured 
by  a  glance.     Add  to  all  this,  that  the  arts  of  printing, 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  249 

painting  and  dyeing,  under  such  circumstances,  would 
have  been  impossibilities.  Pictures  on  canvas,  or  pictures 
on  paper,  could  have  no  existence.  It  would  have  been 
impracticable  to  communicate  our  thoughts  by  writing. 
We  could  neither  impart  nor  receive  instruction  through 
the  medium  of  books ;  and  consequently  should  have 
been  as  ignorant  of  the  history  of  our  world  as  we  are 
of  that  of  the  planets;  and  what  is  infinitely  more  im- 
portant, would  have  been  without  a  written  Revelation 
from  heaven  to  direct  us  in  the  path  that  leads  to  happi- 
ness and  rest. 

But  as  the  world  is  now  constituted,  all  these  evils  and 
inconveniences  are  escaped,  and  unnumbered  advantages 
and  pleasures  secured.  Individual  objects  and  classes  of 
objects  are  distinguished,  and  instantly  recognized,  by  the 
colors  they  wear.  The  shepherd  can  discern  his  sheep 
and  the  herdsman  his  cattle  as  they  graze  on  the  distant 
hillside,  or  are  scattered  over  the  receding  plain.  The 
fruit  on  the  tree  and  the  crop  in  the  field  can  be  distin- 
guished as  soon  as  the  eye  alights  upon  them.  Thoughts 
and  desires  can  be  written,  science  and  history  can  be 
printed,  likenesses  can  be  photographed,  and  landscapes 
painted  in  all  their  varied  hues.  Yea,  more — through 
this  beneficent  arrangement  of  Creative  Wisdom,  the 
whole  fiice  of  nature,  instead  of  presenting  an  aspect  of 
dull  uniformity,  is  invested  with  living  charms,  with 
associations  and  combinations  of  colors  that  everywhere 
arrest  the  e3^e  and  delight  the  heart.  "  On  all  sides  we 
behold  a  rich  variety  of  beauty  and  magnificence.  Here 
spread  the  wide  plains  and  fertile  fields,  adorned  with 
fruits  and  verdure ;  there  the  hills  rise  in  gentle  slopes, 
and  the  mountains  rear  their  snowy  tops  to  the  clouds, 
distilling  from  their  sides  the  brooks  and  rivers,  which 
enliven  and  fertilize  the  plains  through  which  they  flow. 


250  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Here  the  blue  lake  stretches  into  a  smooth  expanse  in 
the  bosom  of  the  mountains ;  there  the  rivers  meander 
through  the  forests  and  the  flowery  meadows,  diversifying 
the  rural  scene,  and  distributing  health  and  fertility  in 
their  train.  Here  we  behold  the  rugged  cliffs  and  the 
stately  port  of  the  forest ;  there  we  are  charmed  with 
the  verdure  of  the  meads,  the  enamel  of  the  flowers,  the 
azure  of  the  sky,  and  the  gay  coloring  of  the  morning 
and  evening  clouds."  Thus  colors  overspread  all  nature 
with  exquisite  beauty  and  charm,  and  minister  to  our 
convenience,  our  tastes  ^nd  our  happiness,  in  a  thousand 
different  ways. 

And  licro,  it  will  be  both  interesting  and  profitable  to 
glance  at  the  complexity  of  contrivances  and  the  web  of 
adaptations  to  which  the  benevolence  of  the  Creator  has 
resorted  in  order  that  we  might  enjoy  all  these  pleasures 
and  advantages.  AVe  have,  in  the  first  place,  in  the  solar 
light  an  agent  of  exceeding  complexity,  composed  of 
innumerable  constituents,  embracing  every  possible  shade 
and  tint  of  colors,  and  these  refrangible  in  as  many  dif- 
ferent degrees.  AVe  have,  in  the  second  place,  the  atoms 
and  molecules  of  organized  bodies  and  inanimate  sub- 
stances gifted  with  the  power  of  sifting  the  solar 
light  in  the  most  various  ways,  and  producing  by  this 
sifting  the  colors  observed  in  nature  and  employed  in 
art;  and  to  do  this  they  must  possess  a  molecular  struc- 
ture comniensurate  in  complexity  with  that  of  light  itself. 
In  the  third  place,  we  have  the  human  cj/e,  an  instrument, 
as  we  have  seen  in  a  preceding  analogy,'''  of  a  highly 
complicated  structure  and  of  the  most  exquisite  adjust- 
ment of  parts,  in  order  to  collect  the  rays  and  receive 
their  impressions.  And  lastly,  we  have  the  brain,  an 
organ   possessing  a  refinement  of  sensibility  and  action 

*rart  IL,  Analogy  4. 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  251 

past  all  description,  to  distinguish  the  impressions  thus 
generated  in  the  eye.  Here,  then,  are  brought  together 
four  distinct  agencies,  each  of  extreme  complexity,  yet 
all,  with  infinite  skill,  so  mutually  adapted  and  related 
to  each  other,  as  to  minister  to  us  the  inestimable  advan- 
tages and  all  the  undefinable  pleasures  of  light  and  color. 
Could  Divine  intelligence  and  Divine  benevolence  possi- 
bly be  manifested  more  clearly  than  we  have  them  in 
these  wonderful  arrangements?  A  "fool,"  indeed,  must 
he  be,  who  saith  in  his  heart,  "  There  is  no  God." 

Teachings. 

As  material  bodies  and  substances,  in  the  manner  just 
described,  do  by  natural  constitution  reflect  different  rays 
of  the  sunlight,  and  thus  appear  in  various  colors ;  so 
Ghristian  i^eople  hy  native  endowment  reflect  different  rays 
of  the  /Stm  of  Righteousness,  and  thus  exhibit  various  j)hases 
of  character.  And  this  diversity  of  gifts  in  the  church 
is  no  less  interesting  and  important  than  the  variety  of 
colors  in  nature. 

Variety  appears  to  be  a  general  law  in  creation. 
Nature  rarely,  if  ever,  repeats  herself  Neither  the  surface 
of  the  ocean,  nor  the  clouds  of  the  firmament,  nor  the 
face  of  the  dry  land,  has  presented  exactly  the  same 
aspect  on  any  two  days  since  the  date  of  their  creation. 
And  both  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms  are  in 
ceaseless  permutation,  and  exhibit  endless  diversities. 
Every  individual  of  each 'species  of  plant  and  animal 
differs  in  some  respects  from  every  other  individual  of 
the  same  species.  No  two  birds,  no  two  beasts,  no  two 
fishes  can  be  found,  when  minutely  examined,  that  are 
precisely  of  the  same  size,  form,  weight  and  color.  And 
no  two  trees,  no  two  leaves  even,  in  all  the  forest,  are  alike 
in   all  respects.      Equally  true  is  this  of  human   beings; 


252  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

if  we  stand  from  morning  till  evening  in  the  thronged 
and  busy  street,  and  mark  the  stream  of  pedestrians 
moving  along,  we  shall  discover  that  every  individual  on 
whom  our  eye  falls  differs  from  every  other  individual 
either  in  form,  or  stature,  or  features,  or  complexion. 
And  if  their  souls  or  mental  beings  were  visible,  we 
should  witness  quite  as  great,  if  not  even  greater  variety 
among  them.  We  should  see  some  of  lofty  and  some  of 
humble  intellect;  some  enriched  with  poetic  genius  or 
musical  talents,  others  devoid  of  both  and  well-nigh  dull 
and  slow  as  the  ox  that  treadeth  the  furrow ;  some 
endowed  with  gifts  that  eminently  qualified  them  to  be 
divines,  others  to  be  lawyers,  others  to  be  generals,  others 
to  be  statesmen,  and  others  still  to  be  manufacturers,  or 
merchants  or  bankers ;  some  possessing  -ingenuity  that 
specially  fits  them  for  the  mechanic  arts,  and  others 
having  minds  and  memories  that  qualify  them  for  lit- 
erary pursuits;  some  inheriting  indomitable  fortitude  and 
courage,  others  exhibiting  pitiable  irresolution  and  timid- 
ity ;  some  frank,  generous,  noble,  others  jealous,  selfish  and 
grovelling ; — in  short,  we  should  observe  as  great  a  diver- 
sity in  the  mental  furniture  of  human  beings  as  we  see  of 
tints  and  colors,  hues  and  shades  in  the  productions  and 
substances  of  material  nature. 

Now,  as  in  the  kingdom  of  nature  so  in  the  kingdom 
of  grace,  men  being  thus  variously  constituted,  when  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arises  upon  them,  they  variously 
reflect  his  light.  Though  all  that  become  true  Christians 
are  made  new  creatures,  yet  they  are  not  all  made  alike 
in  every  respect.  The  change  effected  by  grace  is  not 
made  in  our  physical  frame  or  mental  faculties,  but  in 
our  moral  nature.  Thofie  who  have  been  regenerated  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  are  still  of  the  same  natural  faculties,  the 
same  intellectual  grade,  and  of  the  same  distinctive  char- 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  253 

acter  as  individuals.  The  vigorous  in  intellect  are  vig- 
orous still,  and  the  more  feeble  in  intellect  are  more 
feeble  still.  Hence  Christian  men  and  women  reflect  the 
Divine  light  they  receive  variously,  according  to  their 
various  natural  endowments.  For  example,  the  four 
Evangelists  were  men  of  distinctive  natural  characters, 
and  we  find  that  each  of  the  Gospel  narratives,  while 
faithful  and  true,  still  clearly  bears  the  tinge  of  the  mind 
in  which  it  was  cast ;  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  Epis- 
tles and  their  respective  authors. 

Peter,  John,  and  Paul,  in  their  unrenewed  and  natural 
state,  were  men  of  very  dissimilar  minds  and  tempera- 
ments ;  and  this  dissimilarity  continued  to  mark  them 
even  after  they  had  become  subjects  of  renewing  grace ; 
and  we  find  that  through  all  their  after  years  their  re- 
flection of  Divine  truth  differed  in  a  corresponding 
manner.  In  Peter,  as  an  apostle,  we  have  still  the  im- 
pulsive and  energetic  fisherman  of  Galilee,  a  man  that  is 
quick,  bold,  and  sometimes  even  rash  ;  he  is  the  first  to 
recognize  in  his  Master  "the  Christ,"  and  the  foremost  to 
draw  his  sword  and  risk  everything  in  his  defence.  In 
John,  as  an  apostle,  we  have  still  the  gentle  son  of  Zebe- 
dee,  a  man  mild,  contemplative,  and  loving,  and  of  in- 
ward adoration  that  rises  above  all  forms,  and  is  aflfected 
by  neither  time  nor  place — the  chosen  friend  of  the 
living  Jesus.  And  in  Paul,  as  an  apostle,  we  have  still 
the  clear-minded,  penetrating,  and  earnest  disciple  of 
Gamaliel,  a  man  of  intellectual  vigor,  untiring  energy, 
and  unconquerable  decision  and  courage ;  a  man  who, 
from  the  depth  and  power  of  his  convictions,  attempts 
everj^thing,  does  everything  possible  to  humanity :  sac- 
rificing every  self-interest  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  Jews 
and  Greeks  and  Homans,  to  Barbarians,  Scythians,  Bond 
and  Free;  preaching  in  synagogues,  theatres,  and  market 

16 


254  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

places ;  gathering  Christian  bands,  and  organizing  Chris- 
tian societies;  writing  epistles  for  the  edification  of 
churches,  and  for  the  guidance  of  bishops;  reasoning 
with  caviUing  Scribes  and  Pharisees ;  confuting  the  proud 
conceits  of  Stoics  and  Epicureans;  asserting  the  sacred 
rights  of  freedom  at  the  hands  of  chief-captains  and  dep- 
uties ;  and  declaiming  before  a  Felix,  a  Festus,  and  an 
Agrippa,  with  an  eloquence  more  powerful  than  that 
"  which  fulmined  over  Greece,  and  shook  the  throne  of 
Macedon." 

Thus  each  of  these  distinguished  disciples  reflected  the 
light  of  the  Sun  of  Ivighteousness  according  to  his  own 
me^ital  hue,  that  is,  according  to  his  own  natural  gifts  and 
personal  temperament.  In  Peter,  we  have  the  Apostle  of 
boldness  and  earnedness ;  in  John,  the  Ajyostle  of  love  and 
serene  devotion ;  and  in  Paul,  the  Aj>ostle  of  progress  and 
conquest.  And  as  we  contemplate  these  three  tjpes  of 
the  apostolate,  together  or  in  contrast,  like  the  three  pri- 
mary colors,  each  enhances  the  excellences  of  the  others, 
while  all  combined  present  a  harmonious  and  beautiful 
picture  of  the  earnest,  devout,  and  progressive  spirit  of 
Christianity. 

What  is  true  of  these  leading  and  characteristic  spirits 
was  equally  true  of  the  primitive  church  in  general. 
While  all  its  true  and  living  members  were  under  the 
influence  and  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  all  grace,  yet,  as 
the  apostle  informs  us,  there  were  "  diversities  of  gifts," 
and,  as  a  consequence,  also  "  diversities  of  operations" 
among  them.  Every  talent  was  employed  in  activity  of 
its  own  complexion.  Some  reflected  the  light  of  truth 
more  especially  as  "  teachers,"  some  as  "  helps,"  some  as 
"governments,"  others  as  "interpreters  of  tongues,"  and 
others  still  as  "  men  of  faith  and  prayer." 

It  need    hardly  be  said    that  this  was  in  accordance 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  255 

with  the  Divine  plan  and  instructions.  The  different 
talents  and  qualifications  bestowed  upon  us  as  men,  are 
designed  by  the  Great  Master  to  be  exercised  by  us  as 
Christians,  for  the  recovery  of  the  world  and  the  building 
up  of  his  church.  He  has  distributed  his  gifts  to  the 
children  of  men,  not  alike,  not  equally,  but  according  to 
his  own  wisdom  and  purpose  for  the  common  good,  and 
he  commands  and  expects  "  every  man  to  profit  withal." 
And  the  Christian,  the  true  and  living  Christian,  if  en- 
dowed with  the  talents  of  a  Luther,  or  a  Knox,  will,  like 
these,  reflect  the  light  in  its  power  and  purity  for  the 
preservation  of  the  foith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.  If 
he  has  received  the  gifts  of  a  Wesley  or  a  Whitefield, 
like  them  he  will  reflect  the  light  as  a  preacher  of  the 
way  of  life.  If  blessed  with  the  spirit  and  faith  of  a 
Martyn,  a  Judson,  or  a  Livingston,  he  will,  like  these 
servants  of  the  Most  Hi^h,  reflect  the  healinGT  beams  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  as  a  missionary  to  those  who 
sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death. 
If  he  is  possessed  of  the  poetic  genius  of  a  Watts  or  a 
Cowper,  like  these  sweet  singers  of  Israel,  he  will  reflect 
the  truth  in  psalms  and  hymns,  and  spiritual  songs.  If 
he  has  received  the  inspiration  of  a  Beethoven,  or  a 
Mozart,  or  a  Handel,  he  will  reflect  the  truth  in  sacred 
tunes  and  anthems  of  devotion.  If  he  has  been  endowed 
with  intellectual  power  and  penetration  resembling  those 
of  a  Newton,  or  a  Ilerschel,  or  a  Faraday,  he  will  reflect 
the  light  as  a  sacred  philosopher,  exhibiting  the  power, 
and  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  the  Great  Creator  in  the 
manifold  works  of  his  hands.  If  to  him  has  been  given 
the  business  capacity  and  success  of  a  Peabody  or  a 
Stewart,  he  will  reflect  the  light  by  the  free  donation  of 
his  accumulated  wealth  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to  relieve 
the  needy  and  suffering,  and  to  save  those  that  are  ready 


256  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

to  perish.  Or,  if  he  has  been  entrusted  only  with  the 
poor  man's  portion,  he  will  still,  if  he  can  do  nothing 
more,  reflect  the  light  by  contributing  even  of  his  little 
for  the  good  of  others,  remembering  that  his  mite,  like 
that  of  the  widow  in  the  Gospel,  may,  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  continue  to  do  good  in  the  world  while  the  Bible 
shall  be  read,  or  the  Sun  endure.  And  when  the  church 
of  Christ,  in  all  its  membership,  shall  thus,  according  to  the 
purpose  of  its  Divine  Head,  reflect  the  light  according 
to  its  varied  gifts  and  talents,  it  will  present  a  moral 
scene  that  can  be  compared  only  to  the  garden  of  the 
Lord,  where  all  that  could  delight  the  eye,  gratify  the 
taste,  and  charm  the  heart  were  spread  out  before  the 
beholder. 

We  have  seen  that  to  every  body  and  substance  in  na- 
ture has  been  given  the  molecular  constitution  that  will 
invest  it  in  the  color  it  was  designed  to  wear,  and  that 
most  important  ends  were  to  be  secured  by  this  arrange- 
ment. So  to  every  man  has  been  given  the  talents  or 
qualifications  by  which  it  was  purposed  he  should  more 
especially  reflect  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
and  most  effectually  promote  the  interests  of  his  kingdom. 
"  Every  man,"  we  are  told,  "  has  his  proper  gift."  As, 
therefore,  every  talent  is  the  gift  of  God,  depending,  per- 
haps, upon  the  mere  molecular  texture  which  he  has  im- 
parted to  the  brain,  no  one  has  just  grounds  to  exalt 
himself  above  his  fellows  on  account  of  his  superior  nat- 
ural abilities.  Superior  talents  simply  make  him  a  greater 
debtor ;  and  why  should  a  man  be  proud  of  being  deeper 
in  debt  than  another?  Or,  to  adopt  the  words  of  the 
apostle,  "Who  maketh  thee  to  differ  from  another?  and 
what  hast  thou  that  thou  didst  not  receive  ?  Now  if  thou 
didst  receive  it,  why  dost  thou  glory,  as  if  thou  hadst 
not  received  it?"    It  is  the  wisdom  and  duty,  then,  of  all 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  257 

to  serve  and  honor  God  in  the  diligent  exercise  of  the 
abilities  which  he  has  bestowed  upon  them,  neither  de- 
spising nor  envying  one  another.  The  sunflower  should 
not  pride  itself  because  it  can  lift  its  head  above  the  violet, 
nor  the  violet  despise  the  sunflower  because  it  can  send 
forth  sweeter  fragrance.  The  lily  should  not  repine  be- 
cause it  cannot  bloom  like  the  rose,  and  the  rose  should 
not  be  discontent  because  it  cannot  appear  in  the  white- 
ness of  the  lily.  It  is  God  that  hath  given  to  every 
flower  its  own  form  and  hue  and  odor;  and  shall  the 
thing  formed  say  unto  him,  "  Why  hast  thou  made  me 
thus?"  Nay,  rather,  "By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what 
I  am."  Neither  great  usefulness,  nor  great  happiness 
always  depends  upon  great  talents.  A  little  flower  dis- 
covered by  Dr.  Kane  growing  and  reflecting  its  pale  hues 
beneath  the  cold  lip  of  Humboldt's  Glacier,  in  the  polar 
region,  affected  and  delighted  his  heart  more  than  the 
most  gorgeous  flower-garden  he  had  ever  visited  in  his 
own  happy  land.  And  the  sight  of  a  bright  bud  just 
peeping  above  the  burning  sands  of  Africa,  animated  the 
expiring  Mungo  Park  to  make  the  one  more  and  last  effort 
that  saved  his  life.  Whether,  therefore,  we  be  sunflowers 
or  violets,  roses  or  lilies,  geraniums  or  anemones,  let  us  be 
.thankful  for  the  gifts  we  possess,  and  content  to  shine  on 
in  the  colors  which  God  has  given  us. 

"  Who  does  the  best  his  circumstance  allows, 
Does  well,  acts  nobly — angels  could  do  no  more." — Youjig. 


268  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ANALOGY    X. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature  effects  the  illumination  of  the  earth  through  the  reflec- 
tive agency  of  the  atmosphere  upon  which  its  rays  fall—so  the  Sun  of 
Highteoiisness  is  to  accomplish  the  illumination  of  the  world  of  mankind 
through  the  reflective  agency  of  those  uj)on  whom  his  light  shines. 

Phenomena. 

The  globe  which  we  inhabit,  as  all  know,  is  encom- 
passed by  a  vast  ocean  of  aeriform  matter,  or  atmosphere. 
This  atmosphere  rises  to  the  height  of  many  miles  above 
its  surface,  but  continually  diminishes  in  density  as  the 
elevation  increases.  At  the  height  of  three  and  a  half 
miles  its  density  is  only  one-half  as  great  as  at  the  level 
of  the  sea;  at  the  height  of  forty  miles  it  is  reduced  to 
extreme  tenuity,  being  less  than  in  the  exhausted  re- 
ceiver of  the  best  air-pump;  but  where  it  terminates, 
or  vanishes  altogether,  it  is  impossible  to  determine  with 
accuracy. 

In  the  course  of  the  foregoing  analogies  we  have  had 
occasion  to  notice  many  of  the  wonderful  adaptations  and 
important  offices  of  this  atmospheric  ocean,  as  the  medium 
in  which  all  the  vital  processes  of  both  plants  and  ani- 
mals are  carried  on,  and  in  which  all  human  activity 
has  its  seat;  and  in  the  present  analogy  we  shall  con- 
sider another  of  its  beneficent  functions,  namely,  its  co-op- 
eration with  the  sunbeams  in  the  illumination  of  the 
face  of  nature. 

The  agency  of  the  atmosphere  in  enlightening  the 
world  is  but  little  thought  of,  because  but  little  under- 
stood, by  men  in  general.  The  common  idea  is,  that  we 
owe  the  light  of  day  simply  and  solely  to  the  Sun.  This 
impression,  however,  is  not  altogether  correct.  The  Sun 
might  exist  and  be  all  that  it  now  is,  a  majestic  and 
glorious  luminary ;  and   the  earth,  too,  might  be  all  that 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  259 

it  now  is  as  to  matter  and  form  and  motions ;  yet,  without 
the  atmosphere,  the  surface  of  our  world  would  never  be 
cheered  with  what  we  call  dayliglit,  nor  charmed  with 
the  beauty  of  the  varying  tints  and  softening  shades  that 
now  invest  it.  It  is  the  reflective  and  dispersive  powers 
of  the  atmosphere  that  convert  the  sunlight  into  daylight. 
Without  the  atmosphere,  the  sunlight  would  descend  in 
direct  and  parallel  rays  of  unbearable  heat  and  brilliancy, 
illuminating  and  scorching  those  parts  or  objects  upon 
which  they  directly  fell,  but  leaving  all  other  parts  and 
objects  in  the  darkness  of  night.  That  side  of  a  moun- 
tain ridge,  for  example,  upon  which  the  beams  of  the 
morning  Sun  fell  directly,  would  be  heated  and  brightly 
illumined ;  but  these  beams,  glancing  in  straight  lines 
over  its  summit,  would  leave  the  opposite  side  involved 
in  all  the  cold  and  gloom  of  midnight  darkness.  The 
same  would  be  true  of  our  dwellings  and  all  similar  ob- 
jects. These  evils  and  inconveniences  are  now  avoided 
by  the  reflection  and  re-reflection  of  the  solar  rays  by 
the  atmosphere  as  they  pass  through  it.  The  atmosphere 
is  so  constituted  that  its  every  particle,  illumined  by  the 
sunbeam,  becomes  itself  a  new  centre  of  emission,  radiat- 
ing the  light  in  every  direction  ;  and  it  is  through  this  co- 
operative agency  of  the  atmosphere  that  the  light  pro- 
ceeding from  the  San  eflects  the  general  and  complete 
illumination  of  the  whole  diversified  face  of  nature. 

What  the  condition  and  aspect  of  our  world  would  be 
without  an  atmosphere  is  thus  graphically  described  by  the 
learned  author  of  Benedicite  :  "  The  Sun  is  the  great  foun- 
tain of  light ;  but  without  the  co-operation  of  the  atmos- 
phere to  diftlise  it  over  objects,  the  illumination  of  this 
earth  would  have  been  most  imperfect,  and  light  could 
never  have  become  the  universal  blessing  which  it  now 
is.     Objects  on   which   the    direct   rays  of  the   Sun  fell 


260  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL.  ^ 

would,  of  course,  have  reflected  light  and  been  visible; 
but  objects  which  were  in  the  shade,  and  which,  there- 
fore, did  not  receive  any  direct  solar  rays,  would  have 
been  invisible.  Let  any  one  attempt  to  realize  the  con- 
fusion into  which  the  world  would  thus  have  been  thrown. 
Even  in  the  brightest  sunshine  we  should  have  seen  things 
only  in  broken  fragments.  The  varied  beauty  of  scenery 
would  have  vanished,  and  every  landscape  would  have 
been  disfigured  with  seams  and  patches  of  inky  black- 
ness. The  rays  of  the  Sun  in  passing  through  a  window 
would  have  brightened  the  surfaces  they  touched,  but 
all  around  would  have  been  left  in  almost  midnight  dark- 
ness. In  conversing  with  a  friend,  the  side  which  was 
turned  toward  the  Sun  would  alone  have  been  visible ; 
and,  if  our  own  face  had  happened  to  be  opposite  to  his 
and  in  shade,  he  could  not  have  seen  it.  If  a  cloud  had 
passed  over  the  Sun,  both  of  us  would  have  vanished 
into  darkness,  as  if  from  a  sudden  eclipse.  The  azure 
tints  of  the  firmament  would  have  disappeared,  and  the 
stars  would  have  shone  at  midday  from  a  vault  of  utter 
blackness.  To  improve  the  illumination,  it  was,  there- 
fore, essential  that  something  should  distribute  the  light, 
so  as  to  supply  objects  that  were  in  shade  with  a  certain 
amount  of  rays,  by  the  reflection  of  which  they  might  be 
seen.  This  task  was  given  by  the  Creator  to  the  atmos- 
phere. Many  of  the  Sun's  rays  fall  directly  on  the 
earth,  but  the  rest  are  caught  up  by  the  air,  and  are  re- 
flected and  re-reflected  from  one  particle  to  another,  and 
are  scattered  and  difl*used  in  every  direction,  until  all 
objects  within  their  influence  are  bathed  in  light.  In 
this  manner  bodies  in  shade  are  illumined  and  become 
visible  by  reflecting  into  our  eyes  more  or  less  of  the  light 
they  have  received  at  second  hand." 

Now  all  this,  let  it  be  observed,  is  not  to  be  regarded 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  261 

as  mere  theory,  but  fact,  established  by  the  unquestion- 
able principles  of  the  science  of  optics.  Moreover  actual 
experience  and  observation  confirm  it.  Such  effects  have 
been  many  times  actually  observed  on  the  summits  of 
high  mountains  where  the  air  is  greatly  rarefied.  On  the 
top  of  Mount  Blanc  the  sky  is  black,  the  stars  are  seen 
at  noon,  and  even  the  milky  way  appears  as  a  pure  flame 
stretching  across  the  heavens.  The  glare  of  the  direct 
light  is  unbearable  to  the  eye,  and  even  the  reflection 
from  the  snow  blisters  the  unprotected  skin,  while  the 
contrast  between  light  and  shade,  being  unnaturally  in- 
creased, gives  to  surrounding  objects  a  peculiar  and 
ghastly  aspect.  All  this  results  from  a  certain  amount 
of  diminution  in  the  density  of  the  atmosphere.  It  is 
obvious,  therefore,  that  a  greater  reduction  still  of  its 
density  would  produce  more  marked  and  startling  effects 
even  than  these,  and  that  the  utter  annihilation  of  the 
atmosphere  would  more  than  realize  all  that  we  have 
just  attempted  to  describe. 

In  further  proof  of  this  interesting  fact  we  direct  the 
reader's  attention  to  another  scene.  The  Moon  is  a  world 
without  an  atmosphere,  and  the  asjject  of  her  surface,  as 
seen  through  powerful  telescopes,  plainly  shows  what 
that  of  our  own  would  be  without  its  aerial  envelope. 
A  distinguished  astronomer  describes  that  portion  of 
the  Moon's  phase  called  Mare  Imhrium,  in  the  follow- 
ing terms :  "  Casting  our  eyes  around  us,  what  do  we 
see  ?  A  boundless  desert,  stretching  away  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach  on  every  side,  save  one  or  two  points, 
where  a  chain  of  lofty  mountains  can  be  perceived, 
whose  brilliantly-pointed  summits,  glittering  up  in  the 
sunbeams,  just  appear  on  the  distant  horizon.  The  light 
and  heat  are  of  a  tropical  fierceness,  and  there  is  -not  a 
cloud  afloat  to  shield  us.     An  infinite  number  of  pits  of 


262  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

all  depths  and  diameters  are  scattered  over  the  plain. 
Above,  the  sky  is  black,  out  of  which  the  Sun  gleams 
like  a  red-hot  ball ;  and  the  stars  sparkle  like  diamonds, 
for  no  atmosphere  such  as  ours  exists,  to  give  hy  its  re- 
fractive and  reflective  powers  the  delicious  blue  to  its 
heavens,  and  the  softened  shade  to  its  landscape.  The 
lights  and  shades  are  indented  upon  its  features  deep  and 
dark,  or  intensely  bright ;  no  softening  away  in  the  dis- 
tance ;  no  gentle  and  beautiful  perspective ;  no  lovely 
twilight  morning  or  evening  stealing  over  or  away  from 
the  scene.  All  the  shadows  are  abrupt  and  sudden  ;  all 
the  outlines  sharp,  clear;  objects  appearing  startlingly 
near  even  when  really  distant.  No  sound  follows  our 
footfall,  or  is  ever  heard  in  that  silent  place,  for  there  is 
no  atmosphere  to  conduct  it ;  no  fresh  breeze  blows  upon 
its  mountain  tops,  sighs  through  its  burning  deserts, 
rustles  through  brilliant  green  forests,  or  waves  over 
grassy  meadows ;  the  silence  of  death  broods  over  its 
arid  wastes  and  rocky  shores,  against  which  no  tides  or 
billows  break." 

Something  similar  to  this  w'ould  be  the  condition  and 
aspect  of  our  own  globe  but  for  the  wonderful  and  bene- 
ficent offices  which  the  atmosphere  performs.  The  at- 
mosphere is  the  great  diffuser  of  light  and  sound,  as  also 
of  heat  and  moisture,  over  the  whole  face  of  our  beauti- 
ful world.  To  the  atmosphere  we  owe  our  ever-recurring 
daylight,  with  all  its  innumerable  advantages  and  pleas- 
ures. To  the  atmosphere  we  are  indebted  for  the  pleasing 
illumination  of  the  interior  of  our  dwellings,  and  that 
they  are  not  dark  as  dungeons  when  the  Sun  is  on  the 
meridian.  To  its  repeated  reflections  and  dispersions 
we  owe  the  pure  azure  of  the  vaulted  skies;  the  delicate 
contrasts  of  light  and  shade  which  beautify  the  scenery; 
the  clearness  of  the  foreground  in  the  landscape,  the  gray 


ASPKCT  Oi"   TIIK   MOON'S   SURFACt;, 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  265 

of  the  middle  distance,  and  the  soft  purple  of  the  re- 
moter hills,  all  blending  in  one  harmonious  whole.  To 
the  atmosphere  we  are  indebted  for  the  gorgeous  coloring 
of  the  clouds,  their  varying  hues  of  gold  and  purple,  and 
their  glittering  towers  and  pinnacles  of  marble  whiteness, 
which  attend  the  rising  and  setting  of  the  Sun.  And 
when  that  "  lord  of  day  "  has  set  and  retired  from  view, 
to  the  atmosphere  we  still  owe  the  tempered  loveliness  of 
the  evening  and  morning  twilight,  the  season  for  calm 
devotion,  and  "  the  time  for  poets  made." 

In  the  constitution  of  the  atmosphere,  then,  we  dis- 
cover clear  evidences  of  dtsign  and  beneficent  adapta- 
tions. We  have  just  seen  what  important  and  startling 
effects  are  produced  by  a  change  simply  in  the  density  of 
this  medium.  Now  this  density  depends  upon  four  con- 
ditions, namely,  the  inherent  nature  of  the  air  itself,  the 
intensity  of  the  earth's  gravity,  the  total  quantity  of  the 
air,  and  its  temperature.  Any  change  in  either  of  these 
would  produce  a  corresponding  change  in  the  density  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  conseq^uently  in  the  condition  of  our 
w^hole  world.  If  the  gases  which  compose  it  had  been  of 
a  heavier  or  lighter  nature,  the  atmosphere  might  have 
been  of  an  oppressive  density,  or  of  an  intolerable  rarity. 
If  the  size  of  the  globe  had  been  different,  or  the  mate- 
rials that  compose  it  much  heavier  or  much  ligliter,  so  as 
to  increase  or  diminish  its  gravitation,  similar  results 
would  follow.  If  the  total  amount  of  air  around  the 
earth  had  been  augmented  or  reduced,  its  density  at  the 
earth's  surface  would  also  be  increased  or  diminished  in 
the  same  proportion.  Or,  lastly,  if  the  temperature  of 
the  atmosphere,  which  depends  upon  the  distance  at 
which  we  have  been  set  from  the  Sun,  were  changed,  its 
density  would  vary  accordingly.  Thus  we  see  that  if  any 
one  of  these  four  conditions  had  been  overlooked  or  ne- 


266  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

glected,  the  present  happy  condition  of  things  could  not 
have  been  secured,  and  man,  as  now  constituted,  could 
not  have  lived  on  this  globe. 

The  mutual  and  harmonious  adaptation  of  all  these 
mighty  arrangements  clearly  proves  unity  of  design,  and 
this  unity  of  design  proves  the  oneness  of  the  Designer. 
He  who  meted  out  the  heaven  with  a  span  also  weighed 
the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  balance,  in  order  to  invest  it 
with  an  atmosphere  of  proper  density  and  dimensions. 
He  who  created  the  rays  of  the  Sun  also  so  constituted 
that  atmosphere  as  to  reflect  and  disperse  them  to  make 
daylight.  He  who  formed  the  light  also  constructed  the 
eye  to  perceive  it,  and  to  use  and  enjoy  its  advantages. 
He  who  breathed  forth  the  circumambient  air  also  wove 
the  texture  of  the  lungs  with  their  myriad  cells  to  inhale 
and  exhale  it.  He  who  gave  to  the  air  its  elasticity  also 
made  the  ear  to  receive  and  appreciate  its  vibrations. 
And  thus  "  that  which  may  be  known  of  God  is  mani- 
fest in  men,  for  he  hath  showed  it  to  them ;  for  the  in- 
visible things  of  Him,  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  are 
clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  that  are 
made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  godhead." 

Teachings. 
The  blessed  Creator  has  not  only  adapted  the  atmos- 
phere to  the  organs  of  our  bodies,  and  to  the  wants  of 
our  physical  nature,  but  likewise  constituted  it  a  scene 
of  inspiring  beauty  and  a  volume  of  highest  instruction 
to  our  minds.  From  the  great  offices  which  it  i'ulfils  in 
the  economy  of  nature,  we  ma}^  learn  the  sacred  duties 
which  he  has  enjoined  upon  us,  and  which  we  owe  to 
our  fellow-creatures  around  us.  As  the  Sun  of  nature, 
in  the  way  now  described,  effects  the  illumination  of 
the   earth   through  the   reflective    agency  of  the  atmos- 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  267 

pliere  upon  which  its  rays  fall,  so  (he  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness is  to  accomplish  the  illumination  of  the  world  of 
manldnd  through  the  reflective  agency  of  those  upon  whom 
His  light  shines. 

Like  the  solar  orb,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shed  his 
rays  directly  on  but  a  portion  of  the  earth's  surface,  the 
hills  and  valleys  of  Judea.  The  rest  of  the  world  beheld 
not  his  glory,  but  remained  in  its  darkness.  The  field 
of  his  personal  ministry,  from  first  to  last,  was  limited 
to  the  province  of  Judea;  his  gracious  messages  and  in- 
structions all  were  addressed  to  the  dwellers  of  that 
land  exclusively.  But  the  light  of  Divine  truth  which 
he  brought  into  the  world  was  not  to  remain  confined 
within  these  narrow  bounds;  it  was  designed  for  the 
benefit  of  the  race,  the  whole  race  of  num.  And,  as  in 
the  kingdom  of  nature,  so  in  his  spiritual  kingdom,  there 
was  to  be  a  medium  for  the  dispersion  of  that  light.  He 
designed  and  a'ppointed  those  upon  whom  his  life-giving 
beams  first  fell  to  become  reflectors  and  disseminators 
of  his  light;  and  those  who,  in  this  way,  received  it,  to 
become  in  like  manner  reflectors  and  dispersers  of  it  to 
others  still ;  and  thus  onward  until  the  whole  world  should 
be  illumined  and  enjoy  the  light  of  perfect  day. 

This  medium,  this  living  agency  for  spreading  the  light 
of  truth,  is  described  in  the  Gospel  under  a  variety  of  fig- 
ures, but  it  will  serve  our  purpose  to  glance  at  one  only 
of  these.  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world,"  said  Jesus  to 
his  disciples ;  "  let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."  Of  this  the  obvious  import  is — 
The  design  of  your  calling  and  enlightenment  is  not  your 
own  advantage  only,  but  that  of  others  also.  The  light 
you  have  received  you  are  to  impart  to  those  who  are 
still  in  darkness,  as  you  yourselves  once  were.     A  candle 


268  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

is  not  lighted  for  its  own  sake,  nor  to  be  put  under  a 
bushel,  but  to  be  placed  on  a  candlestick,  that  it  may 
give  light  to  all  that  are  in  the  house.  So  you  are  to 
shine  as  lights  in  the  world,  holding  forth  the  word  of 
life.  It  is  my  design  and  my  appointment  that  my  dis- 
ciples, ray  people  all,  should  constitute  a  living  atmos- 
phere, encircling  the  globe,  and  creating  daylight  through- 
out all  its  habitable  parts. 

Christians,  then,  are  appointed  to  be  a  medium  of  re- 
flection in  the  moral  world  as  the  atmosphere  is  in  the 
material.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  man  is  constituted  both 
to  reflect  the  light  that  is  in  him,  and  to  receive  impres- 
sions from  the  reflection  of  others.  Every  individual  has 
the  power  of  reflecting  the  light  of  the  Sun  upon  the 
sensitized  plate  of  the  photographer,  so  as  to  impress  his 
own  image  thereon ;  and  a  true  and  faithful  Uheness'iii  that 
image — outlines  and  features  are  perfect;  wrinkles  and 
scars,  freckles  and  hair  are  all  there ;  and  even  what  may 
escape  the  eye  in  the  original  may  be  detected  in  the 
picture.  A  few  years  since,  a  lady  was  photographed  at 
Berlin,  whose  complexion  appeared  spotlessly  fair;  but  to 
the  surprise  of  the  artist,  her  portrait  exhibited  specks 
all  over  the  face.  Twenty- four  hours  after,  the  lady  sick- 
ened of  the  small-pox,  and  the  specks,  which  the  day 
before  were  invisible,  became  then  quite  apparent.  Nay, 
so  true  and  faithful  is  this  impress  of  reflection,  that  a 
man's  mood  or  frame  of  mind,  whether  vivacity  or  list- 
lessness,  joy  or  grief,  vexation  or  ennui,  is  clearly  ex- 
pressed in  the  picture  thus  produced.  The  same  holds  true 
in  regard  to  the  reflection  and  imprint  of  a  man's  character. 
Every  individual  has  his  particular  degree  and  shade  of 
moral  or  immoral  light,  and  this  he  continually  reflects 
upon  men  around  him  ;  and  these,  like  sensitized  plates, 
are  c6nstituted  with   a  natural   susceptibility  to  receive 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  269 

impressions  from  that  light,  frhether  good  or  evil.  That 
which  a  man  is,  in  belief  and  taste  and  temper  and  habit, 
manifested  in  what  he  does  and  does  not,  is  effective  in 
its  tendency,  and  is  ever  photographing  itself,  more  or 
less  clearly,  on  other  minds.  He  may  be  unmindful  and 
even  altogether  unconscious  of  the  influence  he  is  thus 
exerting,  but  the  fact,  nevertheless,  is  certain.  If  the 
pure  light  is  in  him,  it  must  shine;  or,  if  darkness  reigns 
within,  it  must  shade ;  if  he  glows  with  love,  it  will  ra- 
diate its  warmth;  if  he  is  immersed  in  vice,  it  will  spread 
its  stain.  Nor  is  it  possible  for  any  man  to  divest  him- 
self of  this  inherent  element  of  influence.  No  man  can 
live  without  reflecting  his  light  and  leaving  his  impres- 
sions upon  those  among  whom  he  moves. 

Nothing,  therefore,  should  concern  a  man  more  than 
that  the  light  which  he  reflects  should  be  pure,  and  the 
impressions  he  makes  be  for  good.  Hence  the  Saviour's 
command  to  his  followers  is,  that  they  reflect  his  light, 
the  pure  light  of  heavenly  truth  which  he  bestows.  Now 
the  Christian  is  a  man  who  has  received  this  light;  it 
shines  perpetually  within  his  soul,  and  diffuses  its  puri- 
fying, cheering  influence  over  all  the  faculties  and  affec- 
tions of  his  being,  producing  holiness  and  peace  and  love. 
Nor  is  this  all  :  so  subtle  and  penetrating  is  this  heavenly 
light  that,  though  dwelling  within,  it  pervades  the  whole 
man,  and,  as  it  were,  renders  his  whole  exterior  luminous, 
and  invests  his  whole  conduct  with  holy  radiance.  In- 
tegrity and  truth,  purity  and  love,  benevolence  and  devo- 
tion, mark  all  his  ways.  And  thus  his  light  so  shines 
before  men  that  they  see  his  good  works,  and  are  led  to 
glorify  their  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

The  human  mind,  we  have  said,  is  constituted  with 
a  natural  susceptibility  to  impression  from  the  light  re- 
flected  upon  it;  and  this   susceptibility  is  found   in   its 


270  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

greatest  refinement  in  the  ||^oung.  Hence  the  reflection 
of  parents  upon  the  tender  and  sensitive  minds  of  their 
children  makes  th^  most  influential  and  lasting  impres- 
sion. And  herein  lies  a  fact  of  profoundest  interest  to 
every  father  and  mother — a  fact  that  should  daily  stand 
before  their  eyes  as  in  blazing  sunbeams — but  a  fact, 
alas  !  overlooked  and  forgotten  by  thousands.  How  many 
a  parent  seems  more  concerned  about  the  appearances 
that  strike  the  outward  eye,  than  about  the  spirit  and 
temper  which  affect  the  inward  mind.  How  many  speak 
and  act  among  their  children  as  if  this  idea  had  never 
dawned  upon  their  minds.  There  is  a  3"oung  mother — 
mark  her;  she  is  on  her  way  to  the  gallery  to  have  her 
likeness  taken.  Soon  we  see  her  seated  beneath  the  soft- 
ened light  opposite  the  artist's  instrument.  After  nu- 
merous adjustments  and  repeated  inspections,  she  is  at 
length  ready.  The  attitude  of  the  head,  the  expression 
of  the  features,  the  turn  of  the  eyes,  the  position  of  the 
arms,  the  extension  of  the  fingers,  and  even  the  folds 
of  the  dress,  have  all  been  subjects  of  careful  study. 
And  all  this  painstaking  arrangement  of  her  person  has 
been  made,  as  she  says,  "in  order  to  appear  just  as  she 
wishes  to  be  seen  always  in  the  picture  by  her  family 
and  friends."  Yes,  that  mother  is  very  desirous  to  pro- 
duce a  pleasing  photograph  of  herself.  But  is  she  aware, 
does  she  realize,  that  she  is  every  day,  at  home,  photo- 
graphing her  likeness  upon  the  immortal  minds  of  her 
children,  plates  infinitely  more  delicate  to  receive,  and 
infinitely  more  durable  to  retain,  not  her  form  and  fea- 
tures only,  but  her  very  temper  and  spirit — her  whole 
living  character?  Is  she  there  as  much, on  her  guard 
against  hasty  words,  petulant  handling  and  a  ruffled  tem- 
per, as  she  is  here  now  against  a  knit  brow,  a  clenched 
hand,  or  a  ruffled  lace  ?     Is  she  as  studious  that  the  inef- 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  271 

faceable  impress  she  makes  upon  her  little  ones  be  as 
graceful,  serene,  and  faultless  as  the  one  she  now  wishes 
to  produce  ?  If  it  be  a  mother's  or  a  father's  eye  that  is 
tracing  these  lines,  let  them  be  assured  that  this  repre- 
sentation is  not  fiction  or  a  figure,  but  a  fact.  This 
mental  photography  is  actually  going  on  every  day.  Let 
them  see  to  it  that  their  light  shall  always  so  shine 
before  their  children,  that,  seeing  their  good  works,  they 
may  be  led  to  glorify  their  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

But  to  return  to  the  general  application  of  these 
words :  the  Christian,  whatever  be  his  relation  or  position 
in  life,  is  required  to  reflect  both  in  his  conduct  and 
spirit  the  light  he  has  received.  He  is  bound  by  his 
obligations  both  to  his  Divine  Master,  the  fountain  of 
truth,  and  to  his  fellow-men,  to  make  the  truth  known 
for  the  salvation  of  others.  In  his  character,  as  "  the 
light  of  the  world,"  he  must  reflect  that  light  before  all 
around  him.  This  is  the  express  vocation  of  every  dis- 
ciple. As  every  particle  of  the  atmosphere,  as  soon  as 
illumined  by  the  sunbeam,  becomes  itself  a  new  centre 
of  emission,  radiating  the  light  in  every  direction,  so 
every  unit  or  individual  in  the  body  of  believers,  the 
moment  he  receives  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness, is  to  become  a  reflector  and  radiator  of  that  light. 
He  is  to  exhibit  the  Gospel  in  its  practical  meaning  and 
transforming  power.  He  is  to  become  a  living  epistle 
that  may  be  seen  and  read  of  all  men.  For  this  end  has 
he  been  called  out  of  darkness  into  the  light  which  he 
enjoys,  and  for  this  end  he  is  preserved  and  continued  in 
the  world. 

And  it  is  ijot  by  example  only  that  the  disciple  of 
Jesus  is  to  reflect  the  light ;  he  is  also  to  do  it  by  active 
and  zealous  eflbrts,  by  all  the  means  in  his  power  or  at 
his  command,  by  his  tongue  and  his  pen  and  his  worldly 

17 


272  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL, 

substance.  To  give  the  light  to  those  who  are  beyond 
the  reach  of  his  personal  influence,  he  is  to  make  cheer- 
ful and  liberal  sacrifices.  He  is  to  aid  in  sending  mis- 
sionaries, as  reflectors,  into  the  dark  places  of  the  earth. 
Thus  runs  the  Master's  high  commission :  "  Freely  ye 
have  received,  freely  give  :  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  Go  carry  the 
light  of  life  and  the  offers  of  love;  go  proclaim  the 
fulness  of  Divine  mercy  and  the  freeness  of  my  salva- 
tion; nor  stop  nor  rest  while  there  remains  a  human 
being  who  has  yet  to  hear  the  sweet  story  of  redeeming 
love.  The  professor  of  religion,  who  takes  no  part  in  this 
grand  enterprise  of  illuminating  the  world,  understands 
not  his  calling,  and  acts  an  anomalous  and  contradictory 
part.  He  seems  to  say  by  his  conduct  that  the  world 
does  not  need  light,  or  that  Christianity  is  no  light,  or 
that  he  himself  has  not  its  light  and  is  no  Christian. 
From  this  work  no  disciple  of  Jesus  is  exempt  or  re- 
leased; nor,  if  true  to  his  principles,  would  he  be  ex- 
empted or  released. 

Thus,  by  the  Divine  appointment,  every  disciple  is  to 
be  a  bright  and  burning  torch,  irradiating  the  circle  in 
which  he  moves ;  every  Christian  church  to  be  as  a  city 
set  on  a  hill,  whose  light  cannot  be  hid ;  every  Christian 
isle  as  a  Pharos,  sending  its  gleaming  beams  far  and  wide 
over  the  dark  waters  that  surround  it ;  and  the  whole 
body  of  believers,  over  sea  and  land,  by  their  several  and 
combined  lights,  to  constitute  a  luminous  atmosphere  that 
shall  give  to  the  whole  world  the  clear  light  of  day. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  273 

ANALOGY   XI. 

As  the  Sun  of  Nature,  viewed  through  the  dank  vapors  afloat  in  the  atmos- 
phere, appears  discolored,  and  sometimes  distorted — so  the  Sun  of 
Bighteousness,  looked  upon  through  the  dark  mists  of  the  carnal  mind, 
appears  in  a  character  that  belongs  not  to  him,  and  often  as  without 
form  or  comeliness  that  he  shoidd  be  desired. 

Phenomena. 

The  atmosphere  of  our  globe,  as  we  have  before  ob- 
served, is  composed  mainly  of  two  gases,  oxygen  and 
hydrogen,  whose  combination  forms  a  perfectly  trans- 
parent medium.  In  this  medium,  however,  there  floats 
at  all  times  a  vast  quantity  of  aqueous  vapor,  raised 
daily  by  the  heat  of  the  Sun,  in  the  form  of  steam,  from 
the  surface  of  the  sea  and  of  the  dry  land.  The  amount 
of  water  thus  lifted  into  the  air  by  the  process  of  evapor- 
ation is  very  great,  and  far  exceeds  that  discharged  into 
the  ocean,  during  the  same  length  of  time,  by  all  the 
rivers  of  the  earth. 

The  aqueous  vapor  produced  in  this  manner  is  diffused 
through  the  whole  body  of  the  atmosphere,  and  is  in  a 
state  of  perpetual  motion  and  change,  being  rarefied  into 
an  invisible  condition,  or  condensed  into  mists  and  clouds, 
according  to  the  varying  degrees  of  heat  or  cold  to  which 
it  is  exposed ;  and  in  this  way  it  aflects,  sometimes  more 
and  sometimes  less,  the  general  transparency  of  the  air, 
and  modifies  both  the  colors  and  the  forms  of  objects  seen 
through  it.  And  in  the  present  chapter  we  are  to  speak 
of  the  various  aspects  which  it  gives  to  the  Solar  Orb. 

The  Sun,  viewed  through  a  vaporous  atmosphere,  ap- 
pears in  false  colors.  When  the  vapor  is  dry  and  rarefied, 
or  in  an  invisible  condition,  the  air  is  clear,  and  the  Sun 
is  seen  in  his  natural  brightness.  But  if  the  vapor  be 
slightly  condensed,  and  takes  the  form  of  mist,  he  ap- 
pears through  it  as  if  shorn  of  his  glories,  a  white  orb, 


274  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

upon  which  the  eye  can  rest  without  pain  or  inconven- 
ience ;  as  he  descends  he  grows  still  more  dull ;  and  fi- 
nally, as  he  approaches  the  horizon,  he  gradually  assumes 
a  rosy  tint,  and  at  last  a  deep  red  color.  These  changes 
are  thus  explained.  Every  ray  of  the  sunlight  which 
comes  to  us  has  to  pass  through  the  whole  thickness  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  the  greater  the  distance  it  has  to 
travel  the  greater  the  portion  of  it  that  is  absorbed  by 
the  vapors  in  the  air.  And  this  distance,  as  is  obvious, 
increases  with  the  increased  declination  of  the  Sun.  If 
we  admit  the  atmosphere  to  extend  vertically  to  the 
height  of  sixty-two  miles,  a  ray  of  light  coming  from  the 
Sun  at  the  zenith  has  only  these  sixty-two  miles  to  pass 
through  in  order  to  reach  us,  as  from  Z  to  A.     But  a  ray 


PASSAGE  OF  LIGHT   THROUGH  THE  ATMOSPHERE. 

from  the  Sun  on  the  horizon  has  to  travel  through  706 
miles,  or  more  than  eleven  times  the  former  distance,  as 
from  H  to  A,  and  that,  too,  through  the  densest  portion 
of  the  atmosphere.  In  traversing  this  great  distance, 
the  various  colors  combined  in  the  perfectly  white  ray, 
except  the  red,  are  for  the  most  part  absorbed  by  the 
slowly  condensing  vapors  along  the  cooling  surface  of  the 
earth.  Hence  the  red  color  in  which  the  Sun  appears 
at  its  setting  and  rising. 

The  Sun,  viewed  through  a  vaporous  atmosphere,  often 
appears,  also,  in  a  false  form.  Seen  on  the  meridian, 
through  a  clear  sky,  he  appears  as  a  perfect  circle,  which 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  275 

is  his  true  outline.  But  as  seen  near  the  horizon,  in  cer- 
tain conditions  of  the  atmosphere,  instead  of  being  cir- 
cular, he  appears  of  an  oval  form,  the  upper  and  lower 
sides  being  flattened,  and  the  latter  more  so  than  the 
former.  On  high  mountains,  and  on  plateaux  near  the 
seacoast,  this  flattening  of  the  disc  appears  very  consid- 
erable, amounting  sometimes  to  one-fifth  the  apparent 
diameter  of  the  Sun.  This  pecuUar  deformation  is  caused 
by  the  refraction  or  bending  of  the  rays  of  light  in  pass- 
ing through  the  vapors  of  the  atmosphere.  Sometimes 
the  want  of  homogeneity  in  the  successive  layers  of  the 
atmosphere,  caused  by  the  unequal  admixture  of  vapors, 
gives  to  the  Sun  an  apparent  form  of  so  irregular  a  char- 
acter that  he  is  scarcely  recognizable.  A  striking  in- 
stance of  this  kind  of  distortion  was  observed  by  Biot 
and  Mathieu,  at  Dunkerque,  on  the  coast  of  France. 

Again,  the  Sun,  viewed  through  the  atmospheric  va- 
pors, in  a  certain  state,  appears  surrounded  by  apijend- 
ages  wldcli  do  not  belong  to  him.  When  the  sky  is  hazy, 
and  presents  a  dull,  milky  appearance,  there  is  frequently 
to  be  seen  around  the  Sun  a  colored  circle,  or  halo,  hav- 
ing a  radius  of  22°,  and  the  Sun  occupying  the  centre  of 
the  circle,  as  h  h.  The  inner  edge  of  the  circle  is  colored 
red,  and  is  well  defined.  The  sky  within  the  halo  is 
much  darker  than  it  is  for  some  distance  without.  Some- 
times there  may  be  seen  around  the  Sun  a  second  halo 
or  colored  circle,  as  H  H,  having  a  radius  of  4G°.  The 
inner  edge  of  this  also  is  red,  and  tolerably  well  defined, 
while  the  outer  edge  is  of  a  pale  blue  color,  and  but 
faintly  marked.  At  rare  intervals,  a  third  halo,  of  90° 
radius,  as  H'H',  has  been  observed,  surrounding  the  Sun. 
Unlike  the  other  two  halos,  this  one  shows  scarcely  a 
trace  of  color.  All  these  phenomena  are  produced  by 
the  refraction  of  the  sunlight  in  passing  through  the  mi- 


276  TflE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

nute  crystals  of  frozen  vapors  floating  in  the  atmosphere ; 
these  crystals  being  of  various  kinds  and  having  their 
facets  set  at  different  inclinations  to  one  another,  refract 
the  various  colors  of  the  sunrays  at  different  angles,  and 
thus  produce  halos  of  different  diameters. 

When  a  halo  is  formed  around  the  Sun,  there  is  often  to 


A 


II       I 


HALOS  AND  PARHELIA. 

be  seen  a  white  circle  passing  through  the  Sun,  and  parallel 
to  the  horizon,  as  represented  by  A  P  P.  This  is  called  par- 
helic  circle,  and  is  produced  like  the  foregoing  by  the  reflec- 
tion of  the  Sun's  light  from  ice  prisms  or  snow  crystals, 
whose  surfaces  have  a  vertical  position.  At  or  near  those 
points  where  halos  cut  the  parhelic  circle,  there  is  a  double 
cause  of  light;  and  here  the  illumination  is  sometimes 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  277 

SO  great  as  to  present  the  appearance  of  a  mock-sun,  and 
is  called  parhelion.  The  number  of  these  mock-suns,  or 
parhelia,  visible  at  the  same  time,  is  variable ;  sometimes 
one  or  two  only  are  to  be  seen,  at  other  times  four  or  five ; 
on  some  occasions  as  many  as  seven  have  been  observed 
at  once.  The  mock-suns  generally  seem  about  the  size 
of  the  true  Sun,  but  not  quite  so  bright,  though  occasion- 
ally they  are  said  to  rival  their  parent  luminary  in 
splendor.  These  beautiful  phenomena  appear  most  com- 
monly, in  high  latitudes,  but  often  occur  in  the  more  tem- 
perate regions. 

Parhelia  have  been  observed  frequently  both  in  an- 
cient and  modern  times.  Aristotle  records  two  appear- 
ances of  these  meteors,  and  Pliny  mentions  their  occur- 
rence at  Rome.  A  double  parhelion,  which  was  noticed 
before  the  Christian  era,  is  referred  to  by  St.  Augustine. 
Parhelia  of  various  characters  were  observed  in  England 
in  the  years  346,  812,  593,  1199,  1233,  1236  and  1466. 
Many  others  have  been  observed  from  different  points  on 
the  continent.  On  the  2d  of  January,  1586,  Christopher 
Rothara  saw,  at  Cassel,  before  sunrise,  an  upright  column 
of  light  of  the  breadth  of  the  Sun's  disc.  As  he  rose  to 
view,  he  was  preceded  and  followed  by  a  parhelion,  which 
appeared  in  contact  with  his  orb,  and  continued  visible 
for  thirty  minutes,  and  then  were  hidden  by  a  cloud.  On 
the  28th  of  February,  1551,  mock-suns  were  seen  at 
Antwerp;  and  on  the  17th  of  March  of  the  same  year, 
a  similar  phenomenon,  with  two  halos,  was  witnessed  at 
the  same  place.  Four  days  after  the  last  named,  two 
parhelia,  with  three  halos,  were  seen  at  Magdeberg. 

Scheiner  witnessed  a  singular  one  at  Rome,  on  the  20th 
of  March,  1629.  From  the  zenith  as  a  centre  there  was 
seen  a  great  white  circle,  having  the  true  Sun  in  its  cir- 
cumference ;  this  was  intersected  by  two  concentric  cir- 


278  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

cles  around  his  disc.  Where  the  outer  of  these  smaller 
rings  cut  the  zenithal  circle,  two  parhelia  appeared,  and 
in  the  great  circle,  nearly  opposite  to  these,  but  separated 
by  a  wider  arc,  two  others  were  visible. 

Gassendi  describes  a  very  remarkable  instance  of  this 
phenomenon,  which  was  seen  in  1630.  Around  the  Sun 
were  two  concentric  halos:  the  larger  cut  the  horizon, 
and  consequently  was  incomplete;    these  were  colored 


PARHELIA  OBSERVED  BY  GASSENDI. 

like  the  rainbow,  excepting  that  the  red  was  internal. 
In  the  direction  of  the  zenith,  there  was  a  tangental  arc 
external  to  these  halos;  and  with  the  zenith  as  a  centre, 
a  great  white  circle  ran  parallel  with  the  horizon,  having 
the  true  Sun  in  its  circumference. '  At  the  five  intersec- 
tions of  these  circles  and  arcs  parhelia  appeared,  and  a 
sixth  was  seen  in  the  internal  halo  between  the  true  Sun 
and  the  zenith. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  279 

One  of  the  finest  meteors  of  this  kind  on  record  was 
seen  by  Hevelius,  at  Sedan,  on  the  20th  of  February, 
1661.  "A  little  before  11  o'clock,"  he  says,  "the  Sun 
being  towards  the  south,  and  the  sky  very  clear,  there 
appeared  seven  suns  together,  in  several  circles,  some 
white  and  others  colored,  and  these  with  very  long  tails 


PARHELIA  OBSERVED  BY  HEVELIUS. 


waving  and  pointing  from  the  true  Sun,  together  with 
certain  white  arches  crossing  one  another.  The  true  Sun 
was  about  25°  high,  and  surrounded  almost  entirely  by  a 
circle  whose  diameter  was  45°,  and  colored  like  a  rainbow 
with  purple,  red  and  yellow,  its  under  limb  being  scarcely 
2i°  above  the  horizon.  On  each  side  of  the  Sun,  towards 
the  west  and  east,  there  appeared  two  mock-suns,  col- 


280  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ored,  especially  towards  the  Sun,  with  very  long  and 
splendid  tails  of  a  whitish  color,  terminating  in  a  point. 
A  far  greater  circle,  almost  90°  in  diameter,  encompassed 
the  Sun  and  the  former  lesser  circle,  and  extended  itself 
down  to  the  horizon.  It  was  very  strongly  colored  in  its 
upper  part,  but  was  somewhat  duller  and  fainter  on  each 
side.  At  the  tops  of  these  two  circles  were  two  invei'ted 
arcs,  whose  common  centre  lay  in  the  zenith,  and  these 
were  very  bright  and  beautifully  colored.  The  diameter 
of  the  lower  arc  was  90°,  and  that  of  the  upper  one  was 
45°.  In  the  middle  of  the  lower  arc,  where  it  coin- 
cided with  the  circle,  there  appeared  another  mock-sun, 
but  its  light  and  colors  were  dull  and  faintish.  There 
appeared  a  circle  much  bigger  than  the  former,  of  an  uni- 
form M^hitish  color,  parallel  to  the  horizon,  at  the  distance 
of  25°,  and  130°  in  diameter,  which  arose  as  it  were  from 
the  collateral  mock-suns,  and  passed  through  three  other 
parhelia,  of  an  uniform  whitish  color  like  silver;  one  par- 
helion, almost  90°  from  the  Sun,  towards  the  east; 
another  towards  the  west,  and  a  third  in  the  north,  dia- 
metrically opposite  to  the  true  Sun,  all  of  the  same  color 
and  brightness.  There  passed  also  two  other  white 
arches  of  the  greatest  circle  of  the  sphere  through  the 
eastern  and  western  parhelia,  and  also  through  the  pole  of 
the  ecliptic.  They  went  down  to  the  horizon,  crossing  the 
great  white  circle  and  obliquely,  so  as  to  make  a  white 
cross  at  each  parhelion ;  so  that  seven  suns  appeared  very 
plainly  at  the  same  time.  This  phenomenon,  with  cer- 
tain changes  in  the  brightness  of  its  several  parts,  con- 
tinued visible  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes." 

Such  parhelia  have  been  observed  at  various  times  and 
places  in  North  America.  Barker  describes  a  curious 
halo  with  accompanying  mock-suns,  which  he  saw  at 
"Fort  Gloucester,  near  Lake  Superior.     A  circle  with  tan- 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  281 

gental  arc  surrounded  the  Sun ;  about  midway  between 
the  horizon  and  zenith,  a  circle  ran  parallel  to  the  horizon, 
having  the  Sun  in  its  circumference ;  in  this  horizontal 
circle,  there  appeared  altogether  five  mock-suns,  with  this 
peculiarity,  that,  directly  opposite  the  true  Sun  in  this 
great  circle,  a  St.  Andrew's  cross  was  seen,  the  upper 
limbs  of  which  extended  higher  above,  than  the  lower 
one  descended  below,  this  circle ;  in  the  intersection  of 
this  cross  and  the  circle,  one  of  the  parhelia  w^as  placed. 


PARHELIA  OBSERVED  IN  TENNESSEE. 


A  very  curious  system  of  circles,  with  five  mock-suns, 
appeared  on  the  19  th  of  August,  1825,  at  Jackson, 
Tennessee. 

An  exceedingly  curious  optical  appearance  belonging 
to  this  class  of  phenomena,  was  observed  by  Mr.  Fal- 
lows, on  the  7th  of  May,  1823,  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  when  the  Sun's  disc  was  just  dipping  in  the  ocean. 
On  either  side  of  the  true  luminary,  and  within  the 
breadth  of  a  degree  and  a  half  of  his  disc,  four  mock-suns 
appeared  on  the  left,  and  three  on  the  right.     They  had 


282  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

the  same  shape  as  the  true  Sun,  touched  the  water  at 
the  same  instant,  and  all  of  them  disappeared  together, 
shining  as  bright  spots  upon  the  water's  edge.  This 
magnificent  scene  occurred  on  a  delightful  evening,  when 
not  a  cloud  was  to  be  seen. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  marvellous  appendages  which  the 
vapors  of  the  atmosphere  sometimes  create  around  the 
great  luminary  of  the  Day. 

Now,  evanescent  as  is  the  nature  of  all  these  meteoric 
phenomena  at  which  we  have  glanced,  and  irregular  as 
their  occurrence  may  be,  yet  they  are  in  no  sense  to  be 
regarded  as  the  result  of  chance.  On  the  contrary,  we 
see  in  them  the  play  of  exact  and  beautiful  laws.  All 
are  produced  according  to  the  principles  of  order  estab- 
lished, in  the  beginning,  by  the  One  Supreme  Lawgiver. 
In  all,  brightness  and  shade  prevail  in  their  ordained  de- 
grees ;  and  heat  and  cold  produce  their  designed  effects 
in  sea  and  land  and  sky.  The  sunrays  in  their  passage 
through  visible  mists,  or  viewless  vapors,  are  reflected, 
refracted,  and  absorbed  according  to  uniform  rules.  The 
diameters,  distances  and  intersections  of  the  encircling 
halos  are  all  measured  off  after  the  undeviating  principles 
of  geometry.  Every  tint  and  shade  in  their  coloring, 
and  every  facet  and  angle  in  the  frozen  particles  that  pro- 
duce them,  display  the  operations  of  the  unerring  laws 
of  optics.  Invisible  vapors,  icy  crystals,  luminous  arches, 
colored  halos,  splendid  parhelia — all  proclaim  the  ob- 
servance of  law  and  order.  And  though  the  whole  mag- 
nificent diorama  may  fade  and  vanish  within  the  brief 
space  of  five  minutes,  yet,  in  its  production,  nothing  has 
been  slighted,  nothing  imperfectly  formed,  nothing  left  to 
be  determined  by  chance. 


fountain  of  light.  283 

Teachings. 

But  other  lessons  than  those  of  mere  Natural  Theology 
are  suggested  to  us  by  the  subject  of  this  chapter.  As 
the  solar  orb,  seen  through  the  vapors  afloat  in  the  atmos- 
phere, often  appears  discolored,  and  sometimes  distorted, 
60  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  viewed  through  the  mists  of  tlie 
caryial  mind,  frequently  appears  in  a  false  light,  or  in  a 
character  that  does  not  belong  to  Him. 

The  vapors  and  fogs  that  refract  and  absorb  the  light 
of  the  Sun,  in  passing  through  the  atmosphere,  are  apt 
emblems  of  the  disordered  passions  and  earthly  propensi- 
ties of  men,  which  pervert  and  obscure  their  moral  vision. 
Seen  through  these,  no  spiritual  fact  or  truth  appears  to 
them  in  its  correct  light,  or  in  its  right  connections. 
"  The  natural  man,"  saith  the  apostle,  "  receiveth  not  the 
things  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto 
him ;  neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spirit- 
ually discerned." 

When  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  upon  the  Land 
of  Promise,  though  it  was  as  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh," 
as  a  Divine  Man,  fair  and  sinless  and  glorious,  full  of 
grace  and  truth,  speaking  as  man  never  spake,  and  work- 
ing miracles  of  benevolence  such  as  man  had  never 
witnessed — ^yet,  to  the  Jews,  whose  carnal  mind  was  a 
perversive  medium,  he  appeared  in  a  very  different  light, 
and  of  a  widely  different  character.  Viewing  him  as 
through  an  atmosphere  dank  with  pride,  self-righteous- 
ness, lust,  avarice  and  selfishness,  they  could  see  in  him 
no  beauty,  no  form  or  comeliness,  that  they  should  esteem 
or  admire  him.  He  was  to  them  "  as  a  root  out  of  a 
dry  ground."  They ''despised  and  rejected  him;"  yea, 
they  "hid  as  it  were  their  faces  from  him." 

Nor  were  the  Jews  singular,  or  an  exceptional  case, 
in  this  respect.     Carnal  reason,  in  every  age  and  in  every 


284  THE   CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

land,  is  a  medium  that  ever  exhibits  Christ  in  a  false 
color,  or  in  a  false  character,  or  in  a  false  position.  Some 
can  see  in  his  life  nothing  more  than  that  of  a  man,  and 
in  his  death  nothing  more  than  that  of  a  martyr ;  he  is 
to  them  but  another  Socrates  sacrificed  to  the  rage  of 
an  excited  multitude. 

To  others  he  appears  as  an  impostor,  who,  by  superior 
cunning,  deceived  the  people.  How  perversive  must  be 
the  mental  atmosphere  that  can  present  the  Great  Teacher 
under  such  an  aspect  will  appear  by  a  glance  at  the  ad- 
mitted facts  of  his  life.  It  is  now  universally  acknowl- 
edged, not  even  an  intelligent  infidel  dissenting,  that  he 
taught  the  purest  system  of  morals,  and  lived  the  purest 
life,  and  crowned  both  with  the  noblest  death,  ever  known 
among  men.  How  then  could  he  have  been  the  very 
best  of  men,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  very  worst — an 
impostor  ?  The  contradiction  is  as  gross  and  absurd  as 
that  light  is  darkness  and  darkness  is  light.  And  what 
could  have  induced  him  to  act  the  part  of  such  a  deceiver, 
when  it  must  have  been  obvious  to  him,  that  poverty, 
hatred,  persecution  and  death  would  be  his  certain  re- 
ward ?  And  how  could  he,  if  a  hypocrite,  maintain  in 
act  and  speech,  a  character  in  perfect  harmony  with  all 
his  exalted  teachings,  amid  every  species  of  insult  and 
treachery  and  abuse,  without  even  for  a  moment,  or  in  a 
single  instance,  falling  out  of  his  roh  and  showing  his 
true  colors  ?  How  could  such  a  scheme  of  wicked  impos- 
ture produce  greater  and  better  results,  as  the  world  to- 
day acknowledges,  than  any  which  human  wisdom  and 
goodness  before  or  since  have  been  able  to  achieve  ?  How 
monstrous,  then,  and  how  morally  revolting  the  idea  that 
Christ  was  an  impostor!  How  dense  and  deceitful  must 
be  the  atmosphere  that  can  thus  distort  the  form,  absorb 
the  light,  and  clothe  in  sackcloth  the  glorious  Orb  of  Day ! 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  285 

Again,  some  are  enveloped  in  such  a  haze  of  self-suffi- 
ciency and  scholastic  conceit,  that  they  can  discover  in 
the  Gospel  narratives  nothing  more  than  a  mythical  char- 
acter. Glorious  myth !  Who,  we  may  be  permitted  to 
ask,  was  the  author  of  this  incomparable  production  ? 
Who  was  the  genius  that  portrayed  this  character  which 
challenges  and  receives  the  admiration  of  the  most  en- 
lightened and  polished  nations  of  the  globe  ?  Is  it  cred- 
ible that  the  illiterate  fishermen  of  Galilee  could  have 
invented  a  life  and  character  far  higher  and  more  perfect 
than  anything  which  the  poets,  or  philosophers,  or  his- 
torians of  Greece  and  Rome  were  ever  able  to  produce  or 
conceive  ?  Such  a  supposition  makes  the  writers  of  the 
myth  more  extraordinary  characters  than  their  hero. 
"  It  would  take  more  than  a  Jesus,"  said  Rousseau  (him- 
self an  unbeliever)  "to  invent  a  Jesus."  Add  to  all  this 
absurdity,  that  of  making  a  myth  of  a  character  and  life 
that  are  found  in  complete  harmony  with  every  link  of 
a  long  chain  of  undeniable  predictions  running  back  to 
the  very  gates  of  paradise,  and  that  stand  at  a  thousand 
points  in  acknowledged  connection  with  the  whole  his- 
tory of  the  centuries  that  followed.  If  the  Gospel  be  a 
myth,  then  all  records  of  the  past  must  be  a  myth ;  the 
Pharisees  who  accused  him,  Herod  who  mocked  him,  and 
Pilate  who  crucified  him,  must  all  have  been  myths; 
and  such  must  have  been  hundreds  of  others,  whom  all 
sane  men  have  held  to  be  real  and  living  actors  of  that 
age.  In  what  strange  hallucinations,  then,  must  those  be 
involved  who  entertain  this  mythic  notion !  The  atmos- 
phere in  its  most  abnormal  condition  never  presented  a 
more  baseless  illusion.  Here  is  a  veritable  fata  morgana 
of  the  mind.  Of  tliat  natural  phenomenon,  an  eye-wit- 
ness gives  this  description  :  "  For  an  extent  of  several 
miles  along  the  coast  of  Sicily,  I  saw  the  sea  assume  the 


/ 


286  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

appearance  of  a  chain  of  gloomy  mountains,  while  the 
waters  in  the  direction  of  Calabria  remained  perfectly 
smooth.  Above  them  was  seen,  in  chiaro-oscuro,  a  range 
of  many  thousand  pillars,  all  of  equal  height,  and  seemed 
to  bend  over  and  resolve  themselves  into  arches  and 
arcades  like  the  old  Roman  aqueducts.  Then  a  cornice 
formed  along  the  top,  and  an  endless  number  of  castles, 
all  alike,  appeared.  These  presently  faded  away  into 
towers  that  vanished  also,  leaving  nothing  visible  but  a 
long  colonnade,  succeeded  in  its  turn  by  windows,  and 
then  by  pines  and  cypresses,  also  indefinitely  repeated." 
So  the  advocates  of  the  Mythic  Theory,  after  looking 
over  the  Gospel  field  a  while,  presently  fancy  they  see  its 
magnificent  columns  of  truth,  its  overarching  miracles  of 
mercy,  its  colonnades  of  moral  precepts,  and  its  manifold 
adornments  of  Divine  virtues — all  change  forms,  gradu- 
ally crumble  into  ruins,  and  finally  fade  away  into  a 
mere  "myth."     What  a  mental  mirage! 

Others  still  can  see  in  the  Divine  Teacher  nothing  but 
an  enthusiast,  dreaming  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  self- 
deluded,  and  deluding  those  around  him.  We  are  told 
by  physiologists,  and  all  can  verify  the  fiict  for  them- 
selves, that  to  gaze  steadily  at  the  unclouded  Sun,  soon 
exhausts  the  power  of  vision  in  the  eye,  so  that  when  it 
is  withdrawn  and  turned  in  another  direction,  all  things 
appear  of  one  color.  So  these,  looking  at  the  glorious 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  seem  to  be  dazed  in  a  similar  man- 
ner, and  all  they  read  in  the  Gospel  appears  to  them  to 
wear  the  hue  of  enthusiasm.  But  to  a  man  of  undimmed 
and  clear  sight,  where  are  the  evidences,  where  even  the 
indications  of  enthusiasm  ?  The  narratives  of  the  Evan- 
gelists, from  first  to  last,  exhibit  not  a  trace  of  fanaticism 
or  self-deception.  On  the  contrary,  we  find  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  "  calm,  self-possessed,  uniformly  consistent,  free 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  287 

from  all  passion  and  undue  excitement,  never  despond- 
ing, ever  confident  of  success  even  in  the  darkest  hour 
of  trial  and  persecution.  To  every  perplexing  question 
he  quickly  returned  the  wisest  answer;  he  never  erred 
in  his  judgment  of  men  or  things;  from  the  beginning 
to  the  close  of  his  public  life,  before  friend  and  foe, 
before  magistrate  and  people,  in  disputing  with  Phari- 
sees and  Sadducees,  in  addressing  his  disciples  or  the  mul- 
titude, while  standing  before  Pontius  Pilate  and  Caia- 
phas,  or  suspended  on  the  cross,  he  showed  an  unclouded 
intellect  and  complete  mastery  of  appetite  and  passion 
— in  short,  all  the  qualities  the  very  opposite  to  those 
which  characterize  persons  laboring  under  self-delusion 
or  any  mental  disease."  If  the  uniform  conduct  of  any 
man  that  ever  lived  be  sufficient  to  defend  him  against 
the  imputation  of  enthusiasm,  then  the  life  of  Jesus,  his 
temper  and  spirit,  his  converse  and  actions,  place  him  at 
an  infinite  distance  above  such  a  charge. 

As  the  Sun  that,  through  the  dense  vapors  lying 
along  the  horizon,  appears  pale  or  dull  or  red  in  color, 
or  oval  or  irregular  in  figure,  when  seen  through  the 
clear  sky  on  the  meridian,  is  found  to  be  a  full-orbed  and 
glorious  luminary — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  though, 
viewed  through  the  dank  and  darkening  atmosphere  of 
natural  reason  and  earthly  passions,  he  may  seem  to  be 
an  impostor,  or  an  enthusiast,  or  a  myth,  yet,  when 
seen  through  the  clear  light  which  Heaven  has  given,  is 
discovered  to  be  "  the  Brightness  of  the  Father's  glory, 
and  the  express  Image  of  his  person." 

The  latter  class  of  aerial  phenomena  which  we  have 
described  in  this  chapter  suggests  another  interesting  and 
instructive  analogy.  When  the  air  cools  and  its  vapory 
particles  become  frozen  into  clouds  of  minute  crystals, 
then  it  is   that  the  atmosphere  encircles  the  Sun  with 

IS 


288  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

its  halos  and  parhelia — appendages  which  form  no  part 
of  it,  neither  are  related  to  it.  To  all  this  we  find  a 
perfect  parallel  in  the  spiritual  world.  The  Christian 
religion  in  its  beginning  was  correct  and  true  in  its  senti- 
ments, pure  and  warm  and  holy  in  its  spirit.  But  as 
time  rolled  on,  over  all  this  there  gradually  crept  a  sad 
and  dismal  change.  Its  doctrines  became  corrupted,  and 
its  spirit  degenerated,  by  closer  and  closer  association  with 
the  world.  Its  devotion  became  cold,  and  its  worship 
crystallized  into  mere  forms  and  ceremonies.  And  in 
process  of  time  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  like  the  Sun 
of  nature,  came  to  be  presented  to  the  world  as  sur- 
rounded by  illusive  appendages  which  belonged  not  to 
him,  by  fancied  associates  whom  he  disclaimed  and  repu- 
diated. The  Virgin  Mary  by  degrees  came  to  be  regarded 
as  a  deified  being,  and  to  be  worshipped  under  such  titles 
as  these — the  Queen  of  Heaven — the  Propitiation  of  the 
world — The  Protectress  from  Divine  Justice — The  Lad- 
der to  Paradise — The  Mediatrix  of  Grace — The  Co-op- 
erator in  our  Justification — The  Refuge  of  the  Lost — The 
Way  of  Salvation.*  And  to  her  came  to  be  addressed 
such  devout  petitions  as  the  following : 

0  Holy  Mary !  my  Socereign  Queen  and  most  Loving 
Mother  !  receive  me  under  thy  blessed  patronage^  and  special 
protection,  and  into  the  hosom  of  thy  mercy,  this  day,  and 
every  day,  and  at  the  hour  of  my  death.-\ 

0  great,  excellent  and  most  glorious  Lady,  prostrate  at 
the  foot  of  thy  throne,  ive  adore  thee  from  this  valley  of 
tears.\ 

Hail!  Holy  Queen,  Mother  of  Mercy,  our  life,  our  sweet- 
ness, and  our  Hope!  To  thee  ive  cry,  poor  banished  so)is 
of  Ece,  to   thee  tee  send  our  sighs,  7nourning  and  iceep- 

*  See  Glories  of  Mary,  translated  from  the  original,  pub.  in  London,  1852. 
t  The  Catholic  3Ianual,  p.  4G.  |  Glories  of  Mary,  Am.  Ed.,  p.  513. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  289 

ing  in  this  valley  of  tears.  Turn^  then,  most  gracious 
Advocate,  thy  eyes  of  mercy  toward  us!* 

After  a  similar  manner,  but  somewhat  later,  came  the 
Apostles  and  Martyrs  also  to  be  deified  and  adored.  The 
worship  of  departed  saints  was  introduced  by  degrees. 
"At  first,  annual  festivals  were  instituted  to  their  honor ; 
the  next  step  "was  praying  in  the  cemeteries  at  their 
sepulchres;  then  their  bodies  were  translated  into 
churches;  then  a  power  of  w^orking  miracles  was  attrib- 
uted to  their  dead  bodies,  bones  and  other  relics ;  then 
their  wonder-working  relics  were  conveyed  from  place 
to  place  and  distributed  among  other  churches;  then 
they  were  invocated  and  adored  for  performing  such  mir- 
acles, for  assisting  men  in  their  devotions,  and  inter- 
ceding for  them  with  God ;  and  not  only  the  churches, 
but  even  the  fields  and  highways  were  filled  with  altars 
for  invoking  them." 

Thus,  as  the  religious  atmosphere  of  the  church  lost 
its  original  transparency,  and  came  to  be  filled  wnth 
carnal  vapors,  cold  and  frozen,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
came  to  be  represented  as  encompassed  with  halos  of 
imaginary  Intercessors,  and  surrounded  with  mock-suns 
of  associated  Mediators.  Yes,  and  there  are  multitudes 
to-day  who  believe  all  this,  and  with  the  profoundest 
devotion  address  their  prayers  to  them  as  such.  But 
what  are  they,  save  the  merest  illusions,  a  species  of 
mental  Ardhelia,  or  spectral  shadows  projected  on  the 
vaporous  atmosphere  of  their  inventors.  In  many  parts 
of  the  world  travellers  have  seen  their  shadows  cast, 
upon  a  gigantic  scale,  on  the  bosom  of  a  distant  cloud, 
closely  resembling  their  own  forms  and  imitating  all 
th  'ir  motions.     "  What  astonished  us,  among  the  Cordil- 

*  Glories  of  Mary,  Am.  Ed.,  p.  433. 


290  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

leras,"  says  Bouguer,  "  was  that  the  head  of  the  shadow 
was  adorned  with  a  halo,  formed  of  three  small  concen- 
tric crowns  of  very  vivid  colors,  resembling  so  many 
rainbows.  This  made  a  sort  of  Apotheosis  of  each  of 
us.  But  while  we  were  tranquilly  enjoying  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  ourselves  thus  wearing  these  triple 
crowns,  in  a  moment  all  faded  and  vanished  away." 
Equally  unreal  and  illusive  are  the  crowns  which  super- 
stition has  placed  on  the  heads  of  saints  and  martyrs  to 
constitute  them  intercessors  and  mediators  with  Christ. 
The  eternal  word  of  truth  proves  and  pronounces  all  to 
be  but  a  phantasy. 

As  the  atmospheric  halos  and  parhelia  have  in  them- 
selves neither  substance,  nor  light,  nor  heat,  but  owe 
all  that  they  are  to  the  light  of  the  Sun ;  the  moment 
he  "  shuts  his  glories  in,"  that  moment  they  utterly 
vanish ;  so  these  departed  apostles  and  martyrs  and  the 
Virgin  Mary,  saints  though  they  be,  have  no  power  or 
influence  that  they  can  exert  in  behalf  of  their  deluded 
votaries;  they  themselves  are  as  completely  dependent 
on  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  as  any  other  sinners  saved 
by  grace.  Let  him  but  withdraw  his  saving  and  life- 
giving  beams,  and  they  can  do  nothing,  are  nothing. 
There  is  but  "  one  mediator"  between  God  and  men,  the 
man  Christ  Jesus.  He  is  the  way,  the  life  and  the  truth. 
And  there  is  no  other  name  under  heaven,  given  among 
men,  whereby  we  can  be  saved. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  291 

ANALOGY   XII. 

As  the  Sun  stands  alone  cw  a  luminary,  unrivaled  in  splendor  by  any  ork 
of  heaven — so  Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  stands  alone  as  a  Teacher, 
unequalled  and  unapproached  in  the  wisdom^  purity  and  benevolence  of 
his  instructions. 

Phenomena. 

Various  instruments  have  been  invented,  and  various 
methods  pursued,  to  measure  the  intensity  of  the  Sun's 
light,  and  to  estimate  his  power  of  illumination  as  com- 
pared with  other  sources  of  light,  natural  and  artificial ; 
and  the  results  reached  are  full  of  interest  and  instruction. 

Of  the  light-giving  power  of  the  Sun,  two  different  and 
entirely  distinct  estimates  may  be  made,  namely,  of  his 
illuminating  power,  and  of  his  intrinsic  brilliancy.  The 
distinction  between  these  may  be  explained  in  few  words. 
The  illuminating  j^otcer  of  the  Sun  is  measured  by  the 
total  amount  of  light  which  he  imparts  as  compared  with 
the  total  amount  of  light  given  out  by  another  luminous 
body,  without  respect  to  their  relative  distance  or  dimen- 
sions. The  intrinsic  brillianc?/  of  the  Sun  is  estimated 
by  the  amount  of  light  emitted  by  a  square  foot,  or  a 
square  inch  of  his  surface  as  compared  with  that  emitted 
by  a  square  foot,  or  a  square  inch  of  the  surface  of  some 
other  luminous  body.  Bearing  this  distinction  in  mind 
the  statements  that  follow  will  be  readily  understood. 

Several  philosophers  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries  attempted  to  measure  the  intensity  of  the  solar 
light,  but  it  is  to  Bouguer  first,  and  to  WoUaston  next 
after  him,  that  we  owe  the  earliest  estimates  possessing 
any  tolerable  degree  of  precision.  The  former,  in  1725, 
calculated  that  the  Sun  at  the  zenith,  with  a  clear  sky, 
illuminates  an  object  75,200  times  more  than  a  caudle 
placed  at  the  distance  of  oi  feet  from  this  object ;  the 
latter,  in   1799,  on   the  same   basis,  but  by  a  different 


292  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

method,  made  the  number  of  candles  somewhat  less, 
namely,  68,000.  Candles,  however,  were  very  inferior  and 
inadequate  objects  for  comparison  in  such  a  matter  as  this. 

Since  the  days  of  these  scientific  worthies  means  have 
been  discovered  for  producing  artificial  light  of  far  greater 
intensity  than  any  kind  of  candles  that  can  be  made. 
The  Carcel  lamp  gives  as  much  light  as  half  a  dozen 
stearic  candles,  and  a  fish-tail  gas  jet  as  twice  that  num- 
ber. What  is  known  as  the  Drummond  Light,  produced 
by  directing  the  flame  of  a  jet  of  mixed  hydrogen  and 
oxygen  gas  on  a  piece  of  lime,  possesses  an  intensity  equal 
to  180  candles.*  A  magnesium  wire  burnt  in  oxygen  gas 
gives  out  a  light  of  intrinsic  brilliancy  500  times  greater 
than  that  of  a  candle.f  The  electric  light,  obtahied  with 
a  nitric  acid  battery,  gives  a  degree  of  light  equal  to  1,000 
candles.*  But  none  of  these  approach  the  Sun  in  bright- 
ness; in  fact,  the  most  brilliant  of  them,  placed  in  the 
Sun's  light,  by  reason  of  his  incomparably  superior  bright- 
ness, becomes  actually  invisible. 

Sir  John  Herschel,  speaking  on  this  subject,  says : 
"  The  most  brilliant  and  beautiful  light  which  can  be 
artificially  produced  is  that  of  a  ball  of  quicklime  kept 
violently  hot  by  a  flame  of  mixed  ignited  oxygen  and 
hydrogen  gases  playing  on  its  surface.  Such  a  ball,  if 
brought  near  enough  to  appear  of  the  same  size  as  the 
Sun  does,  can  no  more  be  looked  at  without  hurt  than 
the  Sun — but  if  it  be  held  between  the  eye  and  the  Sun, 
and  hoth  so  enfeebled  by  a  dark  glass  as  to  allow  of  their 
being  looked  at  together — it  appears  as  a  black  spot  on 
the  Sun,  or  as  the  black  outline  of  the  moon  in  an  eclipse, 
seen  thrown  upon  it.  It  has  been  ascertained  by  experi- 
ments which  I  cannot  now  describe,  that  the  brightness, 
the  intrinsic  splendor,  of  the  surface  of  such  a  lime-ball 

*Schellen's  Spectrum  Analysis,  pp.  20,  34.  ^  Guellemiu's  Sun,  p.  25. 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  293 

is  only  146th  part  of  that  of  the  Sun's  surface.  That  is 
to  say,  that  the  Sun  gives  out  as  much  light  as  146  balls 
of  quicklime  each  the  size  of  the  Sun,  and  each  heated 
over  all  its  surface  in  the  way  I  have  described,  which  is 
the  most  intense  heat  we  can  raise,  and  in  which  platina 
melts  like  lead."* 

In  all  the  preceding  comparisons  the  light  of  the  Sun 
is  spoken  of,  not  in  its  native  power  and  potency,  but  as 
it  reaches  us  after  having  passed  through  all  the  lajers 
of  gases  and  vapors  which  compose  our  entire  atmosphere. 
Now  it  has  been  estimated  that,  under  the  most  favorable 
conditions  of  the  atmosphere  in  the  summer  season,  at 
least  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  solar  light  is  absorbed  before 
reaching  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  and  at  our  latitude,  in 
thewintei;  season,  full  one-half  of  his  rays  are  thus  spent. 
This,  therefore,  is  a  fact  that  greatly  augments  the  sig- 
nificance of  all  the  foregoing  comparisons. 

Leaving  all  artificial  and  all  terrestrial  sources  of  light, 
let  us  now  direct  our  attention  to  a  comparison  of  the 
solar  light  with  that  of  other  celestial  luminaries,  and 
first  of  the  Stars.  Astronomers  have  classified  the  fixed 
stars  into  such  and  such  "magnitudes,"  according  to  their 
apparent  brightness.  The  faintest  stars  visible  to  the 
naked  eye  are  embraced  in  the  6th  magnitude ;  those 
somewhat  brighter  in  the  5th  magnitude ;  and  so  on. 
Now  taking  the  average  brightness  of  a  6th  magnitude 
star  as  one,  or  unity,  the  average  brightness  of  the  other 
classes,  togetlier  with  the  Sun,  will  stand  as  follows : — 

5th  magnitude  stara 2 

4th  "    •         " 6 

3d  "  " 12 

2d  "  " 25 

1st  "  " 100 

Sirius  fthe  brightest  of  all  the  stars) 324 

The  Sun 6,480,000,000,000 

'^Familiar  Lectures  on  Scieidific  Subjects,  p.  (!>Q. 


294  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

From  the  above  figures,  it  is  apparent,  that  the  bright- 
ness of  the  Sun  exceeds  that  of  the  brightest  star  by  a 
difference  that  is  practically  infinite. 

Let  us  again  glance  at  the  -planets,  which  are  so  much 
nearer  to  us.  Of  these  the  most  brilliant  is  Venus,  that 
known  and  admired  in  all  ages  as  "the  bright  and  morn- 
ing star."  So  dazzling  in  certain  points  of  her  orbit  is 
this  planet  that,  in  the  absence  of  the  moon  and  on  a  clear 
night,  she  casts  perceptible  shadows  of  objects  on  the 
earth.  Yet  when  the  Sun  arises,  such  is  his  superior 
effulgence,  that  her  glories  all  are  swallowed  up  in  his, 
and  she  fades  and  vanishes  completely  out  of  view. 

But  of  all  the  heavenly  bodies,  that  which  gives  out 
the  greatest  amount  of  light  to  human  eyes  by  night  is 
our  own  satellite.  This,  at  its  fulness,  creates  a  kind  of 
soft  daylight  (so  to  speak)  over  the  surface  of  the  globe ; 
yet  the  moon's  light  is  found  to  be  only  54 7^1  a  of  the 
Sun's  light.  Hence,  w«  should  need  the  light  of  no  less 
than  547,513  full  moons  to  produce  a  daylight  equal  in 
brightness  to  that  which  the  Sun  gives.  Now  actual 
calculation  shows  that  there  would  not  be  room  for  so 
many  in  the  whole  half  of  the  sky  which  is  above  the 
horizon  and  visible  to  us,  as  the  disc  of  the  moon,  when 
full,  covers  a  space  equal  to  7?o^ooo  of  it.  From  this  it 
follows  that  the  light  from  a  sky  fully  and  completely 
lined  with  full  moons  would  not  give  us  a  daylight  one- 
half  as  bright  as  that  created  by  the  Sun. 

Such  is  the  light  of  the  Sun.  No  orb  in  the  spa- 
cious firmament  can  be  compared  with  him.  Yea,  the 
light  of  the  moon  and  planets  and  all  the  stars  of 
heaven  combined  would  not  equal,  or  even  make  the 
most  distant  approach  to  that  which  he  daily  pours 
forth  over  a  hundred  worlds.  He  stands  alone  in  his 
glory,  a  monument  to  the   praise  of  him  who   at  first 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  295 

kindled  up  his  fires,  and  still  sustains  them  in  all  their 
energies. 

"  O !  who  can  lifl  above  a  heedless  look, 

While  such  bright  scenes  as  these  his  thoughts  engage ; 
And  doubt,  while  reading  from  so  fair  a  book, 

That  God's  own  finger  traced  the  glowing  page  ; 
Or  deem  the  radiance  of  yon  blue  expanse, 
With  all  its  starry  hosts,  the  careless  work  of  chance  ?  '* 

Teachings. 

Now,  as  the  Sun  of  nature  thus  stands  alone,  as  a 
luminary,  unrivaled  in  splendor  by  any  orb  of  heaven 
— so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  stands  alone  as  a  Teacher, 
unequalled  and  unapproached  in  the  taisdom,  purity  and 
benevolence  of  his  doctrines  by  any  sage  or  philosopher 
the  world  has  ever  seen. 

In  the  course  of  the  earlier  asres  of  the  world's  his- 
tory,  each  of  the  great  nations  of  antiquity — the  Hindoos, 
Chinese,  Persians,  Arabians  and  Greeks — in  their  turn, 
had  their  wise  men  and  great  teachers.  And  as  we  cast 
our  eyes  over  the  receding  firmament  of  the  past,  while 
multitudes  of  others,  who  were  of  lesser  note,  like  the 
stars  of  the  smaller  magnitudes,  have  vanished  out  of 
view,  these  still  shine  conspicuously  as  stars  of  the  first 
magnitude.  But  bright  as  they  are,  and  admired  as  they 
have  been,  not  one  of  them  comes  within  the  reach  of 
comparison  with  the  Divine  Orb  of  Righteousness,  the 
Teacher  sent  from  God.  To  be  assured  of  this  we  need 
but  glance  at  their  characters  and  their  teachings. 

The  Hindoos  had  their  Menu.  Of  all  the  systems  of 
religion  now  extant  in  the  world,  the  most  ancient, 
doubtless,  is  that  of  this  people  ;  and  of  all  their  teachers, 
whose  instructions  have  come  down  to  us,  Menu,  who 
flourished  about  900  B.  c,  stands  among  the  most  cele- 
brated. The  "  Institutes  of  Menu "  are  the  pride  and 
boast  of  Brahmins.     And  there  have  not  been  wanting 


296  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

in  Christian  lands,  men  who  have  presumed  to  place 
these  Institutes  side  by  side  with  the  Laws  of  Moses,  and 
even  with  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  by  way  of  comparison. 
But  these,  for  the  most  part,  to  say  the  least,  have  been 
individuals  whose  competency  to  form  a  correct  opinion 
of  that  ancient  work  may  reasonably  be  questioned.  No 
scholar  of  modern  times  can  be  named  whose  jiidgment 
of  these  Institutes  stands  above  that  of  their  learned  trans- 
lator into  English,  the  accomplished  Sir  William  Jones, 
and  who  has  given  us  his  estimate  of  them  in  the  follow- 
ing terms :  "  The  work,  now  presented  to  the  European 
world,  contains  abundance  of  curious  matter,  extremely 
interesting,  both  to  speculative  lawyers  and  antiquaries; 
with  many  beauties  which  need  not  be  pointed  out,  and 
with  many  blemislies  which  cannot  be  justified  or  palli- 
ated. It  is  a  sj-f^tem  of  despotism  and  priestcraft,  both 
indeed  limited  by  law,  but  artfully  conspiring  to  give 
mutual  support,  though  with  mutual  checks.  It  is  filled 
with  strange  conceits  in  metaphysics  and  natural  philos- 
ophy;  with  idle  superstitions,  and  witii  a  sclieuie  of 
theology  most  obscurely  figunitive,  and  consequently 
liable  to  dangerous  misconceptions.  It  abounds  with 
minute  and  childish  formalities,  with  cerenioni(\s  gen- 
erally absurd,  and  often  ridiculous.  The  punislmients 
are  partial  and  fanciful;  for  some  crimes  dreadfully  cruel, 
and  for  others  reprehensibly  slight;  and  the  very  morals, 
though  rigid  enough  on  the  whole,  are,  in  one  or  two 
instances,  as  in  the  case  of  light  oaths  and  pious  [)crjury, 
unaccountably  relaxed."'^'  To  this  clear  and  comprehen- 
sive description  of  these  celebrated  Institutes  nothing 
need  be  added  to  convince  the  reader  of  their  infinite 
inferiority  to  the  pure  and  divine  code  of  religion  and 
morals  foiuid    in    the  Gospel ;  or   to   prove  that    to  liken 

V Pi'ijace  to  the  Jn^titates  oj  Menu. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  297 

their  author  to  the  author  of  the  "  Sermon  on  the  Mount," 
would  be  to  compare  the  fitful  and  delusive  flashes  of  the 
aurora  to  the  strong  and  steady  light  of  the  glorious  orb 
of  day. 

The  Chinese,  likewise,  have  their  national  Sage. 
About  500  B.  c,  there  appeared  among  that  people  a  cel- 
ebrated character,  named  Kung-fut-si,  or,  as  he  is  com- 
monly called,  Confucius.  So  highly  venerated  in  China 
is  this  teacher  that  there  are  in  that  country  at  this  day 
more  than  1,500  temples  dedicated  to  him,  and  more  than 
60,000  animals  are  annually  immolated  to  his  memory. 
Confucius  spoke  with  the  greatest  reverence  of  the  King 
of  Heaven,  as  the  Creator  of  all  things ;  and  labored  to 
inspire  men  with  becoming  fear,  reverence,  gratitude  and 
love  toward  him.  He  uttered  many  wise  sayings,  and 
established  a  number  of  ordinances  and  institutions  that 
do  honor  to  his  name,  especially  considering  the  age  in 
which  he  lived.  Yet  connected  with  all  this  appears  a 
sad  amount  of  darkness  and  error  and  human  infirmity. 
Some  of  his  ideas  concerning  the  Supreme  Being  are  most 
unworthy  of  Him ;  and  his  foremost  precepts  are  but 
prudential  maxims  based  on  convenience  or  necessity. 
His  whole  system  is  devoid  of  motives  that  are  calculated 
to  elevate* or  ennoble  the  human  mind,  or  to  inspire  men 
w^itli  a  just  appreciation  of  virtue  or  of  vice.  Judging  his 
code  of  religion  and  morality  by  its  fruits,  but  little  can 
be  said  in  its  commendation  ;  from  the  time  of  its  pro- 
mulgation to  the  present  day,  it  has  left  the  teeming 
millions  of  his  country's  population  in  the  darkness  and 
vices  and  degradation  oi practical  atheism.  Few  contrasts 
can  be  named  that  are  greater  than  that  which  exists 
between  Confucianism  and  Christianity.  The  Gospel  of 
Christ  presents  God  in  a  character  worthy  tiie  eternal 
admiration,  confidence  and  love  of  all  intelliixent  bein";s 


298  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

— a  God  wise,  holy,  just,  pure  and  merciful ;  in  whom 
the  intellect,  the  affections  and  the  conscience  of  man 
may  calmly  and  safely  reppse.  His  Gospel  is  a  light 
that  enlightens  and  elevates  the  world,  and  becomes 
the  glory  of  all  peoples  that  obey  its  dictates.  Its  pre- 
cepts all  are  based  in  rectitude  that  commands  the  assent 
of  reason  and  the  approval  of  conscience.  The  motives 
it  presents  are  the  most  powerful,  and  the  prospects  it 
reveals  are  the  most  inspiring  that  can  move  the  heart  or 
mind  of  man.  And  the  fruits  it  has  produced  in  the 
world — the  enlightenment,  civilization  and  refinement  of 
the  foremost  nations  of  the  globe ;  and  the  fruits  it  is 
continually  producing  among  the  most  ignorant  and  de- 
graded— taming  the  savage,  abolishing  the  inhuman  rites 
of  the  idolatrous,  and  establishing  the  pure,  elevating  and 
sanctifying  worship  of  the  only  living  and  true  God — 
present  the  most  convincing  demonstration  of  its  Divine 
origin  and  supreme  excellency. 

The  annals  of  Persia,  also,  have  their  great  name, 
Zerdusht,  or  Zoroaster,  as  he  is  most  commonly  called. 
This  was  the  great  patriarch  of  the  Magi,  who,  according 
to  Hyde,  Prideaux,  and  many  others  of  the  learned,  lived 
between  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Cyrus  and  the 
latter  end  of  that  of  Darius  Hystaspes.  His  pretended 
revelations  and  his  teachings  have  been  preserved  and 
handed  down  to  us  in  a  book  entitled  the  Zend  Avesta. 
A  large  amount,  and  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  ideas 
embraced  in  this  work,  have  obviously,  and  by  common 
consent,  been  taken  from  the  Old  Testament  scriptures, 
and  from  sentiments  that  were  prevalent  among  the  Jews 
in  his  day;  and  after  these  have  been  extracted,  there 
remains  in  the  Zend  little  more  than  a  congeries  of  puer- 
ilities, superstitions  and  absurdities ;  it  contains  scarcely 
a  precept  or  a  rite  that  has  any  tendency  to  elevate  the 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  299 

mind,  or  to  raise  man  from  his  state  of  moral  degrada- 
tion even  to  the  elevation  of  civilized  society,  not  to  speak 
of  spiritual  purity.  To  the  moral  precepts  that  were 
original  with  this  sage  the  highest  praise  that  can  be 
ascribed  is  harmlessness.  He  professed  and  enjoined  great 
regard  for  animal  life,  and  that  principally  on  account 
of  its  connection  with  the  doctrine  of  metempsychosis,  or 
the  transmigration  of  souls,  which  occupied  a  very  prom- 
inent place  in  his  system  of  instruction.  He  also  enter- 
tained and  connnanded  great  reverence  for  fire,  as  the 
emblem  of  the  Divine  purity.  This  is  said  to  have  taken 
its  rise  from  the  following  occurrence :  Having  retired  to 
a  mountain  for  the  study  of  wisdom  and  the  benefit  of 
solitude,  Zoroaster,  one  day,  found  the  whole  mountain 
enveloped  in  flames  around  him,  out  of  the  midst  of  which 
he  came  out  without  receiving  any  injury;  on  which  he 
immediately  offered  sacrifices  to  God,  who  he  was  per- 
suaded had  then  appeared  to  him.  Hence  arose  the 
Zoroastrian  system  of  fire-worship,  which  in  time  came 
to  be  attended  with  a  vast  variety  of  ceremonies.  In 
this  Zerdusht,  then,  as  a  moral  and  religious  teacher,  we 
find  nothing  that  is  worthy,  nothing  that  admits  of  com- 
parison with  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

But  of  all  the  nations  of  antiquity  the  Greeks  pro- 
duced the  most  celebrated  as  well  as  the  greatest  number 
of  philosophers.  Taking  these  in  the  order  of  their  times, 
we  are  led  to  speak  first  of  Pythagoras,  a  native  of  Samos, 
who  flourished  about  500  years  before  Christ.  This  dis- 
tinguished sage,  in  order  to  gather  knowledge,  is  said  to 
have  travelled  through  Phoenicia,  Egypt,  Persia,  and  even 
as  far  as  India.  On  his  return,  his  fame  for  wisdom  and 
sanctity  spread  rapidly  far  and  wide,  being  helped  for- 
ward by  his  marvellous  and  even  supernatural  preten- 
sions.    He  is  said  to  have  exhibited  a  thigh,  like  the 


300  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

shoulder  of  Pelops,  all  made  of  gold  ;  to  have  fascinated 
an  eagle  as  it  flew  over  his  head  ;  to  have  tamed  a 
Daunian  bear,  which  had  laid  waste  the  country,  by 
speaking  a  word ;  to  have  predicted  not  storms  only,  but 
earthquakes  and  future  events ;  and  to  have  been  en- 
dowed by  the  gods  with  the  power  of  preserving  a  distinct 
remembrance  of  many  states  of  existence  which  his  soul 
had  passed  through  before  it  occupied  his  then  present 
body.  He  went  about  clothed  in  a  long  white  robe,  with 
a  flowing  beard,  and  with  a  crown  of  gold  upon  his  head, 
maintaining  the  utmost  gravity  and  majesty  of  aspect 
among  the  people,  never  allowing  his  countenance  to 
express  grief,  or  joy,  or  anger.  He  refrained  from  the 
use  of  wine  and  from  all  animal  food,  and  confined  him- 
self to  a  frugal  vegetable  diet.  By  these  marvellous  pre- 
tensions and  this  artificial  demeanor,  Pythagoras  passed 
himself  ofl*  upon  the  multitude  as  a  being  of  an  order 
superior  to  common  humanity,  and  persuaded  them  that 
he  had  received  his  docrines  all  from  heaven.  In  impart- 
ing his  instructions,  he  followed  two  distinct  systems,  the 
one  open  and  the  other  secret.  To  public  assemblies  he 
discoursed  in  praise  of  virtue  and  in  condemnation  of 
vice,  and  gave  special  lessons  as  to  the  duties  of  men  in 
the  several  relations  of  life.  To  the  body  of  his  select 
disciples  he  imparted  his  instructions  in  private,  enjoin- 
ing under  oath  the  most  perfect  silence  and  secrecy  con- 
cerning what  he  taught  them.  During  the  years  of  their 
initiation  into  that  society  they  were  not  allowed  even 
to  see  their  master,  but  listened  to  his  lectures  delivered 
from  behind  a  curtain.  If  it  happened  that  one  grew 
weary  of  his  restrictions,  and  withdrew  from  the  society, 
a  tomb  was  erected  for  him,  as  for  a  dead  man,  and  he 
was  to  be,  as  such,  forgotten  by  the  brethren  as  if  he  had 
been  actually  dead.     His  disciples  were  to  rise  before  the 


FOUNTAIN    OF   LIGHT.  301 

Sun  that  they  might  pay  him  homage ;  and  each  day 
was  begun  with  a  distinct  deliberation  upon  the  manner  in 
which  it  should  be  spent.  With  respect  to  God,  Pythag- 
oras appears  to  have  taught,  that  he  is  the  universal 
mind,  diffused  through  all  things,  the  source  of  all  animal 
life,  the  proper  and  intrinsic  cause  of  all  motion,  in  sub- 
stance similar  to  light,  in  nature  like  truth,  the  first  prin- 
ciple of  the  universe,  incapable  of  pain,  invisible,  incor- 
ruptible, and  only  to  be  comprehended  by  the  mind. 
Cicero  states  that  Pythagoras  conceived  God  to  be  a  soul 
pervading  all  nature,  of  which  every  human  soul  is  a 
portion — which  is  nothing  more  than  the  modern  system 
of  Pantheism.  His  belief  in  the  transmigration  of  souls 
led  him  to  abstain  from  all  animal  food,  and  to  exclude 
all  animal  sacrifices  from  religious  services.  His  instruc- 
tions to  the  select  body  of  his  disciples  were  for  the 
most  part  delivered  under  the  veil  of  certain  symbolical 
expressions,  of  which  lamblichus  gives  the  following  ex- 
amples :  Adore  the  sound  of  the  whispering  wind.  Stir 
not  the  fire  with  a  sword.  Turn  aside  from  an  edged 
tool.  Pass  not  over  a  balance.  Setting  out  on  a  journey, 
turn  not  back,  for  the  Furies  will  return  Avith  you. 
Breed  nothing  that  has  crooked  talons.  Receive  not  a 
swallow  into  your  house.  Look  not  in  a  mirror  by  the 
light  of  a  candle.  At  a  sacrifice,  pare  not  your  nails. 
Eat  not  the  heart  or  brain.  Taste  not  that  which  has 
fallen  from  the  table.  Break  not  bread.  Sleep  not  at 
noon.  When  it  thunders,  touch  the  earth.  Pluck  not 
a  crown.  Roast  not  that  which  has  been  boiled.  Sail 
not  on  the  ground.  Plant  not  a  palm.  Breed  a  cock, 
but  do  not  sacrifice  it,  for  it  is  sacred  to  the  Sun  and 
moon.  Plant  melons  in  thy  garden,  but  eat  them  not. 
Abstain  from  beans. — Many  other  particulars  might  be 
related  concerning  this  celebrated  philosopher,  but  enough 


302  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

has  been  said,  we  are  sure,  to  convince  the  reader,  whether 
we  contemplate  his  character  as  a  man,  his  spirit  as  a 
public  teacher,  the  nature  of  the  doctrines  he  put  forth, 
or  the  manner  in  which  he  communicated  his  instruc- 
tions, that  in  all  these  respects  he  stands  at  an  immeas- 
urable distance  below  the  Teacher  of  Galilee,  who  de- 
livered the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  spake  the  inimitable 
Parables,  which  at  once  astonished  and  delighted  the 
listening  multitudes  that  stood  on  the  shore  of  the  Sea 
of  Tiberias. 

The  next  great  name,  as  a  philosopher^  which  Greek 
history  presents  to  us,  is  that  of  Socrates,  who  was  born 
at  Athens,  B.  c.  470.  Though  a  heathen,  and  living  in 
the  midst  of  heathens,  Socrates  believed  in  one  Supreme 
Being,  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  in  the  necessity 
of  Divine  influence  to  the  practice  of  virtue  and  com- 
munion with  the  Deity.  According  to  the  unanimous 
testimony  of  those  who  knew  him  best,  he  was  a  sincere, 
upright,  disinterested  man,  and  withal,  singularly  pious 
according  to  the  light  he  had.  Xenophon  tells  us  that 
he  never  undertook  any  work  without  first  asking  counsel 
of  the  gods.  A  sense  of  the  Divine  presence,  a  strong 
faith  in  the  influence  of  God,  and  a  deep  desire  to  be 
governed  by  it,  were  habitual  to  his  soul.  While  other 
Greek  philosophers  were  occupied  with  a  variety  of 
ingenious  theories,  he  endeavored  to  apply  his  great 
knowledge  to  good  and  practical  purposes,  esteeming  it 
to  be  the  true  end  of  philosophy  to  make  men  not  only 
wiser,  but  also  more  virtuous  and  happy.  His  sentiments 
and  character,  as  brought  forth  in  his  defence  against  the 
charges  of  his  enemies,  that  he  was  a  corrupter  of  the 
youth,  have  never  failed  to  command  the  admiration  of 
all  reflecting  minds.  "  I  pass  my  time,"  said  he,  ''  doing 
nothing  but  persuade  you,  both  young  and  old,  to  care  so 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT  303 

earnestly  neither  for  the  body,  nor  for  treasures,  nor  for 
any  other  thing,  as  for  the  soul,  by  what  means  it  may' 
be  ennobled  in  the  highest  degree.  Oh,  Athenians,  I 
esteem  and  love  you,  but  I  shall  obey  God  rather  than 
you ;  and  while  I  live,  and  as  far  as  lies  in  me,  I  shall 
never  cease  philosophizing,  or  urging  and  remonstrating 
with  whomsoever  I  may  meet,  in  the  very  same  terms  I 
have  been  wont  to  use.  I  declare  that  the  highest  good 
to  man  is  this,  to  spend  every  day  in  forming  opinions 
respecting  virtue  and  other  subjects,  such  as  you  have 
heard  me  discussing,  scrutinizing  both  myself  and  others, 
and  that  a  life  without  inquiry  is  no  life  for  man.  You, 
therefore,  oh  my  judges,  ought  to  be  hopeful  in  reference 
to  death,  and  to  keep  in  mind  this  one  truth,  that  there  is 
nothing  evil  to  a  good  man,  whether  in  life  or  in  death, 
nor  are  the  matters  which  concern  him  neglected  by  the 
gods.  I  am  not  at  all  incensed  against  those  who  have 
condemned,  or  those  who  have  accused  me.  It  would  be 
ridiculous  for  a  man,  who  during  his  life  has  habituated 
himself  to  live  like  one  who  was  very  near  to  death,  to 
be  afterward  distressed  when  this  event  actually  over- 
took him.  Shall  one  who  veril}^  loves  wisdom,  and  en- 
tertains the  strong  hope  that  he  shall  find  that  which 
deserves  tlris  name  nowhere  except  in  Hades,  shall  he, 
instead  of  rejoicing  to  depart,  be  afliicted  at  dying? 
Does  not  the  soul  of  the  wise  and  good  depart  to  that 
which  is  congenial  to  its  nature,  to  the  unseen,  the 
divine,  the  undying,  the  wise  ?  Arriving  there,  its  lot  is 
to  be  blessed,  to  be  emancipated  from  error  and  ignorance, 
and  fears,  and  wild  appetites,  and  all  other  earthlj-  evils ; 
and,  as  is  said  in  reference  to  the  initiated,  truly  does  it 
spend  the  remainder  of  existence  with  the  gods."  Dur- 
ing the  interval  which  elapsed  between  the  passing 
of  his  sentence  and  its  execution,  some  of  his  wealthy 

19 


304  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

friends  pressed  him  to  take  advantage  of  the  means  of 
escape  wliich  they  could  easily  have  procured  for  him. 
But  he  refused  to  prolong  his  life  by  a  breach  of  the  laws 
which  he  had  never  violated,  and  in  defence  of  which  he 
had  before  braved  death.  And  when  the  fatal  summons 
came,  he  received  and  drank  the  deadly  cup  of  hemlock, 
in  the  midst  of  his  weeping  friends,  with  as  much  com- 
posure and  as  little  regret  as  the  last  draught  of  a  long 
and  cheerful  banquet. 

Such  is  the  brighter  side  of  the  character  and  teach- 
ings of  Socrates ;  and  it  is  with  feelings  of  mingled  sad- 
ness and  regret  that  we  now  turn  to  look  at  the  darker. 
Sublime  as  were  many  of  the  sentiments  he  uttered,  and 
heroic  as  was  the  spirit  he  displayed,  yet  his  mind  was 
involved  in  grave  errors  concerning  the  very  fundamen- 
tals of  all  religion — the  soul  and  its  proper  object  of  wor- 
ship. His  reasonings  concerning  the  soul  of  man  were 
often  more  subtle  than  satisfactory ;  and  the  alternate 
hope  and  fear  concerning  its  immortality,  which  not 
unfrequently  became  manifest  in  his  teaching,  not  a  little 
perplexed  his  disciples.  He  believed  in  the  pre-exist- 
ence  of  human  souls,  before  their  entrance  into  the  bodies 
of  the  present  race  of  men ;  and  taught  that  they  would 
enter  and  occupy  other  bodies  still  after  the  death  of 
those  they  inhabit  now — the  souls  of  the  wicked  pass- 
ing into  the  bodies  of  irrational  animals  as  a  punishment 
for  their  vices.  He  was,  moreover,  an  avowed  polytlieist. 
Though  he  acknowledged  One  Supreme  Being,  yet  he 
believed  in  other  gods  also,  and  devoutly  worshipped 
them.  He  openly  taught  that  a  good  man  ought  to 
worship  the  gods  recognized  by  the  country  to  which  he 
belonged.  His  faith  in  a  plurality  of  objects  of  worship 
was  undisguised  and  sincere,  for  his  dying  request  of  a 
friend  was,  that  an  offering  he  had  vowed  to  a  heathen 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  305 

deity  might  be  paid  for  him.  "  Crito,"  said  he  with  his 
last  faltering  breath,  "we  owe  a  cock  to  ^sculapius; 
discharge  this  vow  for  me,  and  do  not  forget  it."  These 
great  errors  in  views  and  practice — errors  that  must  have 
affected  and  modified  all  his  teachings  concerning  the 
present  duties  and  future  hopes  of  men — sadly  mar  the 
instructions  of  Socrates,  disfigure  his  character,  and  en- 
velop his  memory  in  a  melancholy  cloud.  So  that  after 
all  the  admiration  and  eulogies  bestowed  upon  this 
remarkable  man — and  justly  bestowed — we  find  in  him 
as  a  teacher  of  religion  and  duty,  when  compared  with 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  but  the  moonbeams  struggling  through 
clouds  and  darkness  as  compared  with  the  clear  light  of 
the  noonday  Sun. 

Descending  with  the  course  of  history  but  a  short 
stage,  M-e  are  brouglit  to  contemplate  another  notable 
Greek  teacher,  who  rose  to  distinction  and  celebrity 
second  to  none  of  the  sages  of  antiquity — Plato,  the  dis- 
ciple and  ardent  admirer  of  Socrates,  a  native  of  Athens, 
or  ^gina,  born  4'29  b.  c.  In  ethics  and  religion  the  dis- 
ciple and  his  master  are  entirely  identified,  and  it  would 
be  idle  to  attempt  to  distingnisli  between  them.  The 
philosophy  of  Plato,  however,  difiers  from  that  of  Socrates 
in  its  form,  still  more  in  its  details,  and  especially  in  its 
completeness  and  refinement.  The  following  is  an  out- 
line of  his  system: — That  there  is  one  God,  eternal,  un- 
chanireable,  and  immaterial,  whose  nature  it  is  difiicult 
to  discover,  and  when  discovered,  impossible  to  divulge; 
that  this  great  Beinji  formed  the  universe  out  of  a  mass 
of  matter  that  had  been  in  exist(Mice  from  all  eternity, 
to  which  he  gave  form  and  government;  that  there  is 
in  matfrr  a  necessary  but  blind  and  refractory  force, 
which  resists  the  will  of  the  supreme  Artificer,  so  that  he 
cannot  perfectly  execute  his  designs  ;  and  this  is  the  cause 


306  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  the  mixture  of  good  and  evil  which  is  found  in  the 
material  world  :  that  the  soul  of  man  was  derived  by 
emanation  from  God ;  but  this  emanation  was  not  im- 
mediate, but  through  the  intervention  of  the  soul  of 
the  world,  which  was  itself  debased  by  some  material 
admixture :  that  the  relation  which  the  human  soul, 
in  its  original  constitution,  bears  to  matter,  is  the  source 
of  moral  evil :  that  when  God  formed  the  universe,  he 
separated  from  the  soul  of  the  world  inferior  souls,  equal 
in  number  to  the  stars,  and  assigned  to  each  its  proper 
celestial  abode :  that  these  souls  were  sent  down  to 
earth  to  be  imprisoned  in  mortal  bodies ;  hence  arose  the 
depravity  and  misery  to  which  human  nature  is  liable : 
that  all  our  knowledge  is  acquired  by  the  reminis- 
cence of  ideas  contemplated  in  a  prior  state :  that  the 
soul  is  immortal,  and  by  disengaging  itself  from  all  ani- 
mal passions,  and  rising  above  sensible  objects  to  the  con- 
templation of  the  world  of  intelligence,  it  may  be  pre- 
pared to  return  to  its  original  habitation  :  that  matter 
never  suffers  annihilation,  but  that  the  world  will  remain 
forever;  and  that  by  the  action  of  its  animating  prin- 
ciple it  accomplishes  certain  periods,  within  which  every- 
thing returns  to  its  ancient  place  and  state  ;  and  this 
period  is  termed  the  Great  Year.  The  moral  precepts  of 
Plato  are  greatly  to  be  admired.  He  inculcates  a  pa- 
tient endurance  of  calamities,  a  peaceful  and  forgiving 
disposition,  and  an  elevation  of  the  mind,  directing  itself 
to  things  honest  and  eternal.  The  end  of  all  knowledge 
or  philosophy,  according  to  his  views,  is  to  make  men 
resemble  the  Deity  as  much  as  is  compatible  with  human 
nature ;  and  this  likeness  consists  in  the  possession  and 
practice  of  all  the  moral  virtues.  Such  were  the  doc- 
trines and  precepts  of  Plato. 

This  philosopher,  like  some  others,  travelled  much  for 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  307 

observation  and  learning,  and,  among  other  countries, 
through  Phoenicia  and  Palestine,  seeking  converse  with 
the  wise  and  learned  wdierever  he  came,  and  possibly 
with  Nehemiah  and  Malachi,  who  were  his  contempo- 
raries. He  is  generally  supposed  to  have  gathered  many 
of  his  sublimest  ideas  concerning  the  Supreme  Being  from 
the  Jews ;  indeed,  he  acknowledges  that  he  received  his 
best  and  chief  divinity  from  the  Phoenicians,  by  whom 
probably  he  meant  the  Hebrews.  Clement,  of  Alexan- 
dria, styles  him  the  "  Hebrew  Philosopher;  "  and  both  he 
and  Eusebius  speak  of  one  Aj-istobulus,  a  Jew,  who 
affirmed  that  Plato  followed  the  Jewish  institutions,  and 
curiously  examined  the  several  parts  thereof  Justin 
Martj-r  also  says  that  he  drew  many  things  from  the 
Hebrew  fountain,  especially  his  pious  conceptions  con- 
cerning God  and  his  worship.  Were  all  the  ideas  thus 
obtained,  directly  or  indirectly,  from  the  inspired  scrip- 
tures of  the  Jews  to  be  set  aside,  the  writings  of  Plato 
would  lose  many  of  their  brightest  gems,  and  himself 
would  be  stripped  of  not  a  little  of  the  honor  which  has 
been  so  liberally  bestowed  upon  him.  Still,  of  all  the 
philosophers,  he  appears  to  have  made  the  nearest 
approach  to  the  principles  of  true  wisdom. 

The  defects  and  errors  of  Plato's  system  are  too  many 
and  too  conspicuous  to  be  overlooked.  Often  he  assumes 
things  without  any  sort  of  proof  or  evidence ;  and  the 
way  in  which  he  expresses  himself  is  frequently  obscure, 
and  sometimes  enigmatical.  The  causes  to  which  he 
ascribes  the  material  and  moral  evils  that  are  in  the 
world,  toorether  with  the  account  he  offers  of  the  oriQ;in 
of  the  human  species,  are  the  merest  figments  of  his 
imagination.  The  historian  Mosheim  observes  that  "  he 
ascribes  to  that  Power,  whom  he  extols  as  the  fashioner 
and  maker  of  the  universe,  few  or  none  of  the  grander 


308  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

attributes,  such  as  infinity,  immensity,  ubiquity,  omnipo- 
tence, omniscience ;  but  supposes  him  to  be  confined 
within  certain  limits,  and  that  the  direction  of  human 
affairs  is  committed  to  a  class  of  inferior  spiritual  agents, 
termed  demons.  This  notion  of  ministering  demons,  and 
also  those  points  of  doctrine  which  relate  to  the  origin 
and  condition  of  the  human  soul,  greatly  disfigure  the 
morality  of  Plato,  since  they  manifestly  tend  to  generate 
superstition,  and  to  confirm  men  in  the  practice  of  wor- 
shipping a  number  of  inferior  divinities."  His  arguments' 
in  proof  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  are,  likewise, 
equally  fanciful  and  futile.  Of  these  the  following  are 
examples :  In  nature,  all  things  terminate  in  their  con- 
traries ;  the  state  of  sleep  terminates  in  that  of  waking, 
and  the  reverse ;  so  life  ends  in  death,  and  death  in  life. 
The  soul  is  a  simple,  indivisible  substance,  and  is  there- 
fore incapable  of  dissolution  or  corruption.  The  objects 
to  which  the  soul  naturally  adheres  are  spiritual  and 
incorruptible;  therefore  its  own  nature  is  so.  All  our 
knowledge  is  acquired  by  the  remembrance  of  ideas  had 
and  entertained  in  a  prior  state :  as  the  soul  must  have 
existed  before  this  life,  it  is  probable  that  it  will  con- 
tinue to  exist  after  it.  Life  being  the  conjunction  of  the 
soul  with  the  body,  death  is  nothing  more  than  their  sep- 
aration. Whatever  is  the  principle  of  motion  must  be 
incapable  of  destruction.  Such  is  the  substance  of  the 
arguments  for  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  contained  in 
the  celebrated  dialogue  of  the  Phcedo.  Happy  is  it  for 
us  that  our  belief  in  this  important  doctrine  rests  upon 
firmer  grounds  than  this  species  of  weak  and  inconclusive 
reasoning.  "And  the  Repahlic  of  Plato,''  says  Dr.  Adam 
Clarke,  "  of  which  it  is  fashionable  to  boast,  is,  when 
stripped  of  what  it  has  borrowed  from  Moses,  like  the 
Utopia  of   Sir   Thomas   More,  the    aerial    figment  of  a 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  309 

philosophic  mind,  en  dellre :  both  systems  are  inapplicable 
and  impracticable  in  the  present  state  of  man.  To  per- 
sons under  the  influence  of  various  and  discordant  pas- 
sions, strongly  actuated  by  self  interest,  they  can  never 
apply.  They  have  no  tendency  to  change  the  moral 
state  of  society  from  vice  to  virtue  :  a  nation  of  saints 
might  agree  to  regulate  their  lives  and  conduct  by  tliem; 
but  where  is  such  to  be  found  ?  Though  Plato  has  bor- 
rowed much  from  Moses,  yet  he  has  destroyed  the  effect. 
of  the  whole,  by  not  referring  the  precepts  and  maxims 
to  God,  by  whom  alone  strength  to  fulfil  them  could  be 
furnished." 

In  Plato,  then,  we  find  little  more  than  the  moon 
shining  through  a  less  clouded  sky  than  Socrates,  making 
no  approach  to  Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  whose  sys- 
tem of  instruction  throughout  is  rational  and  consistent, 
and  neither  needs  nor  admits  of  emendation ;  who  spoke 
of  God,  of  creation,  of  the  soul,  and  of  immortality  as 
man  never  spake. 

The  next  great  philosophic  name  we  meet  on  the  page 
of  history  is  Aristotle,  a  disciple  of  Plato,  and  the  pre- 
ceptor of  Alexander  the  Great,  born  in  the  year  384  b.  c. 
The  princi[)les  of  Aristotle,  being  in  all  cases  remarkably 
obscure,  have  been  matters  of  considerable  dispute.  It  is 
certain,  however,  that  in  regard  to  the  Supreme  Being, 
he  fell  from  the  high  and  lofty  teaching  of  his  master, 
and  taught  the  existence  of  Deity  in  a  far  lower  and 
more  unworthy  sense.  The  learned  Mosheim  thus 
describes  and  characterizes  his  general  system  :  ''  The 
Aristotelian  doctrine  gave  to  the  Deity  an  influence  not 
much  beyond  that  of  the  moving  principle  in  a  piece  of 
mechanism,  considering  him,  indeed,  to  be  of  an  highly 
refined  and  exalted  nature,  happy  in  the  contemplation 
of  himself,  but  entirely  unconscious  of  what  was  passing 


310  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

here  below;  confined  from  all  eternity  to  the  celestial 
world,  and  instigating  the  operations  of  nature  rather 
from  necessity  than  volition  or  choice.  In  a  god  of  this 
description,  there  was  surely  nothing  that  could  reason- 
ably excite  either  love,  respect,  or  fear,"  His  system  of 
morals,  likewise,  was  far  inferior  to  that  of  Plato,  being 
based  on  mere  expediency  ov  prudence.  The  rule  of  moral 
conduct  he  found  simply  in  the  result  of  actions.  Wo 
see  hence  that  in  all  the  teachings  of  this  philosopher 
there  is  nothing  that  comes  within  the  limits  of  compar- 
ison with  those  of  the  Great  Teacher ;  we  therefore  dis- 
miss them  without  further  consideration. 

The  year  341  b.  c,  gave  birth  to  another  distinguished 
philosopher,  Epicurus,  the  founder  of  a  celebrated  school 
at  Athens.  This  man  taught  that  the  universe  consists  of 
two  parts — matter,  and  space,  in  which  matter  exists  and 
moves ;  that  matter  is  eternal,  and  originally  existed  in 
the  form  of  minute  particles  or  atoms ;  that  the  world, 
with  all  that  it  contains,  was  not  made  according  to  the 
design  or  by  the  power  of  any  being,  but  arose  out  of  a 
fortuitous  concourse  of  these  atoms ;  that  the  gods  (whose 
existence,  out  of  regard  for  the  popular  prejudice,  he  did 
not  absolutely  deny)  were  indifferent  as  to  human  affairs, 
or  rather  entirely  unacquainted  with  them  ;  that  the  souls 
of  men  are  born  and  die ;  that  all  things  depend  on,  and 
are  determined  by,  accident ;  that  in  everything,  pleasure 
or  gratification,  was  to  be  sought  after  as  the  chief  good, 
and  pain,  whether  of  mind  or  body,  to  be  shunned  as  the 
chief  evil.  The  disciples  of  such  a  teacher  as  this  natur- 
ally stu'Jied  to  pass  their  lives  in  one  continued  round  of 
sensual  enjoyment;  the  only  restraint  they  imposed  upon 
themselves  was  to  avoid  such  excesses  as  might  result  in 
pain,  or  generate  diseases.  To  compare  such  a  system  to 
the  teachings  of  Christ  would  be  something  more  than 
absurd — it  were  profane. 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  31 1 

The  next  and  last  system  of  Greek  philosophy  we  are 
called  to  contemplate,  in  this  review,  is  that  of  Zexo,  a 
contemporary  of  Epicurus.  The  leading  doctrines  of 
Zeno  were  not  original  with  him,  but  having  attended 
the  instructions  of  many  eminent  preceptors,  and  studied 
the  opinions  of  the  great  teachers  that  went  before  him, 
he  compiled  out  of  their  various  tenets  a  heterogeneous 
system,  on  the  credit  of  wdiich  he  assumed  to  himself  the 
title  of  a  founder  of  a  new  sect,  called  Stoics,  a  name  de- 
rived from  Stoa,  a  porch,  the  place  where  he  delivered 
his  instructions.  Zeno  derived  his  code  of  moi'als  mainly 
from  the  Cynics,  and  his  theory  of  physics  from  the 
Platonic  school.  According  to  his  ideas,  matter  existed 
in  the  condition  of  a  dark  and  confused  chaos  from  all 
eternity.  God  also  existed  from  all  eternity,  an  incor- 
ruptible, wise,  and  good  Being,  the  efficient  cause  of  all 
forms  and  motions.  By  the  energy  of  this  Deity  the 
original  chaos  of  matter  became  the  world  we  see  and 
inhabit.  Matter  is  passive,  and  God  is  the  animating 
principle  or  soul  of  the  world.  The  agency  of  the  Deity, 
however,  both  in  creation  and  providence,  is  nothing  more 
than  the  active  motion  of  a  celestial  ether,  or  fire,  pos- 
sessed of  intelligence,  wliich  at  first  gave  Ibrm  to  the 
shapeless  mass  of  gross  matter,  and  being  always  essen- 
tially united  to  the  visible  world,  by  the  same  neosary 
agency  preserves  its  order  and  harmony.  Providence,  in 
the  Stoic  creed,  is  only  another  name  for  absolute  neces- 
sity, or  fate,  to  which  God,  no  less  than  matter,  is  im- 
mutably subject.  Fate,  it  is  declared,  binds  the  gods  as 
well  as  men  ;  human  and  divine  things  alike  are  carried 
along  in  an  irrevocable  course.  Human  souls  jiroceed 
from  the  divine  nature,  and  at  last  return  into  the  same. 
The  highest  virtue  is  to  contemplate  truth,  and  calmly 
submit  in  all  circumstances  to  the  fates.      Virtue  is  to  be 


312  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

pursued  for  its  own  sake,  and  self-approbation  is  the  chief 
reward.  The  sum  of  man's  duty  is  to  subdue  his  passions 
of  joy  and  sorrow,  hope  and  fear,  and  even  pity.  He 
who,  in  this  respect,  is  perfect  master  of  himself,  is  a  good 
and  happy  man ;  and  in  proportion  as  an  individual  ap- 
proaches this  state  of  apathy,  he  advances  towards  per- 
fection. A  wise  man  may  justly  and  reasonably  with- 
draw from  life  whenever  he  finds  it  expedient  to  do  so. 
"  Since  those  things  only  are  truly  good  which  are  be- 
coming and  virtuous,  and  virtue,  which  is  seated  in  the 
mind,  is  alone  sufficient  for  happiness,  external  things 
contribute  nothing  towards  happiness,  and,  therefore,  are 
not  in  themselves  good.  The  wise  man  will  only  value 
riches,  honor,  beauty,  and  other  external  enjoyments  as 
means  and  instruments  of  virtue ;  for,  in  every  condition, 
he  is  happy  in  the  possession  of  a  mind  acconmiodated 
to  nature.  Pain,  which  does  not  belong  to  the  mind,  is 
no  evil.  The  wise  man  will  be  happy  in  the  midst  of 
torture.  All  external  things  are  indifferent,  since  they 
cannot  alToct  the  happiness  of  man." 

Such  is  Stoicism — the  result  of  the  combined  efforts  of 
many  noble  minds  through  a  succession  of  ages.  And  it 
is  a  system,  it  must  be  confessed,  that  exhibits  tlie  fruit 
of  much  profound  thought,  and  not  a  little  sound  reason- 
ing, and  embraces  many  elevated  and  even  sublime  senti- 
ments. From  certain  points  of  view,  it  is  a  structure  that 
externally  presents  a  fair  and  imposing  appearance  ;  on 
closer  examination,  however,  it  will  be  found  to  contain 
numerous  fundamental  errors,  and  to  be  deficient  in  those 
elements  which  are  necessary  to  give  it  effectual  energy 
for  moral  good,  or  for  religious  excellence.  It  makes  no 
essential  distinction  between  God  and  matter.  It  makes 
his  connection  with  matter  the  effect  of  necessity.  It 
supposes  his  will  to  be  subordinate  to  the  immutable  de- 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  313 

crees  of  fate.  Hence  it  is  impossible  to  consider  the  God 
of  the  Stoic  creed  to  be  the  author  either  of  rewards  to 
tlie  virtuous,  or  of  punishment  to  the  wicked.  It  does  not 
recognize,  in  any  proper  sense,  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  and  thus  deprives  mankind  of  the  strongest  incite- 
ment to  a  wise  and  virtuous  course  of  life.  The  piety 
which  it  teaches  is  little  or  nothing  more  than  a  callous 
submission  to  irresistible  fate.  The  self-government  which 
it  enjoins  is  simply  the  extinguishing  of  the  best  affections 
of  the  heart.  The  indulgence  or  license  it  grants  to  mor- 
tified pride,  disappointed  ambition,  or  sullen  discontent, 
namely,  suicide,  is  not  only  inconsistent  with  its  own 
principles  of  calm  submission  to  fate,  but  is  the  highest 
crime  against  God,  and  against  nature ;  yet  it  vindicates 
this  dreadful  deed,  and  in  certain  circumstances  even 
commands  it  as  a  duty  :  Zeno  himself  terminated  his  ex- 
istence with  his  own  hands.  The  benevolence  it  pre- 
scribes, instead  of  being  generous  and  sympathizing  love, 
is  devotion  to  an  abstract  idea,  viz.,  that  every  individual 
is  a  portion  of  one  great  whole,  from  which  it  would  be 
unnatural  and  impious  to  attempt  a  separation.  The 
highest  aim  of  the  virtuous  Stoic  was  to  be  proudly  and 
coldly  strong,  to  be  superior  to  pain  or  pleasure,  to  offer 
help  or  relief  without  pity  for  the  sufferer,  or  sympathy 
with  the  sorrowing.  The  obvious  tendency  of  such  a 
system  was  to  create  heartlessness,  to  nourish  pride,  and 
to  make  men  artificial,  hypocritical,  and  unnatural. 

We  have  now  contemplated  the  character  and  instruc- 
tions of  the  most  notable  of  the  uninspired  teachers  and 
philosophers  the  world  ever  saw  in  the  ages  that  preceded 
the  advent  of  the  Great  Teacher,  who  came  from  above. 
We  have  reviewed  the  systems  of  Menu,  Confucius,  Zoro- 
aster, Pythagoras,  Socrates,  Plato,  Aristotle,  Epicurus, 
Zeno  and  the  whole  school  of  Stoics — and  what  have  we 


314  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

found  them?  What  do  they  amount  to  as  compared 
with  the  teachings  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ?  A  few  brief 
considerations  will  furnish  us  with  a  decisive  answer  to 
this  question. 

Since  the  systems  of  these  philosophers  were  conceived 
and  delivered  to  the  world,  mankind  have  made  great 
advances  in  knowledge  of  every  varied  kind,  in  civiliza- 
tion and  government,  in  the  arts  and  sciences.  And  this 
increased  light  has  shown  clearly  enough  that  tliose  sys- 
tems abound  in  errors — in  false  science,  false  morals,  and 
false  theology.  But  in  the  system  of  instruction  de- 
livered by  Jesus  Christ,  all  the  light  of  modern  times  has 
not  only  filled  to  reveal  a  single  error  of  this  kind,  but 
has  served  to  prove  his  every  utterance,  to  the  minutest 
particular,  to  be  in  harmony  with  universal  truth  and  in 
accord  with  all  nature.  Unlike  those  groping  inquirers, 
he  fell  into  none  of  the  prevailing  mistakes  of  his  genera- 
tion, committed  himself  to  no  philosophic  theory  of  his 
day.  lie  spake  only  what  he  knew  to  be  fact,  and  testi- 
fied only  what  he  knew  to  be  truth.  Hence,  as  history, 
science  and  philosophy  have  increased  and  concentrated 
their  ligiit  more  and  more  upon  the  Gospel  page,  the 
more  and  more  manifestly  have  its  purity  and  perfection 
shined  forth.  Nothing  brought  to  view  by  the  [)r()gress 
of  modern  investigation  and  study;  no  fact  noted  by  the 
explorer;  no  principle  established  by  the  moralist;  no 
function  revealed  or  explained  by  the  physiologist ;  no  dis- 
covery made  by  the  microscope  of  the  naturalist,  or  by 
the  crucible  of  the  chemist,  or  by  the  telescope  of  the 
astronomer — has  created  a  demand  for  the  change  of  a 
term;  or  the  modification  of  a  feature,  in  the  doctrines 
taught  by  this  Divine  Teacher.  It  was  verily  the  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth,  that  flowed  from  his  lips,  on 
whatever    subject    he    discoursed.      How    incomparably 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  315 

superior,  then,  in  this  respect,  does  he  appear  to  all  that 
went  before  him. 

Take  now  the  philosophic  systems  which  have  passed 
before  us,  and  sift  out  from  them  all  that  is  erroneous 
and  absolutely  false — their  untenable  views  of  matter  and 
the  laws  of  matter;  their  unquestioned  errors  concerning 
the  character  and  attributes  of  the  one  living  and  true 
God;  their  fabulous  notions  respecting  the  origin,  trans- 
migration and  destiny  of  the  human  soul ;  their  obvious 
mistakes  in  regard  to  the  principles  of  moral  duty,  and 
the  spirit  of  religious  worship ;  their  palpable  errors  in 
matters  pertaining  to  geology,  astronomy,  meteorology 
and  physiology — sift  out  all  this,  I  say,  and  gather  what 
remains  of  correct  and  valuable  teaching  in  them  all 
into  one  focus,  and. what  is  it  compared  to  the  wealth  of 
unmina;led  truth  and  inestimable  instruction  embodied 
in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ? — what  but  the  wan,  pale 
light  of  the  moon  to  the  effulgence  of  the  noontide 
Sun? 

The  teachings  of  our  blessed  Lord  contain  riches  of 
wisdom  and  truth  to  be  found  nowhere  else.  Take,  for 
examples,  the  following  doctrines  which  involve  the  high- 
est interests  of  every  human  being : — The  character  of 
God,  his  spirituality,  unity,  moral  perfection,  and  paternal 
tenderness :  The  reconciliation  of  the  alienated  soul  to 
God  :  Prayer  and  gracious  answer  to  prayer  :  God  in  his 
holy  mercy  looking  upon  fallen,  erring,  perishing  man  : 
Man  in  penitence,  faith,  and  filial  obedience  yielding  him- 
self up  to  God  :  The  reign  or  dominion  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
over  the  understanding,  affections  and  conscience  of  man  : 
Human  sin  and  Divine  pardon  :  The  worship  of  the  Spirit 
God  in  spirit  and  in  truth  :  Providence  unremitting  and 
universal :  The  divine  virtues  of  humility,  meekness, 
forgiveness  and  love  :   The  heavenly  charity  that  denies 


316  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

self  to  benefit  and  to  bless  foes  as  well  as  friends :  The 
final  triumph  of  Divine  grace  over  moral  evil :  The 
eternal  and  ever-brightening  prospects  of  the  righteous. 
Where,  save  in  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  can 
we  find  such  profoundl}^  interesting  doctrines  as  these 
either  propounded  or  conceived  ?  Gracious  truths  !  The 
enlightened  and  renewed  soul,  who  alone  can  appreciate 
them,  in  pondering  over  their  wondrous  import,  feels 
itself  lifted  into  a  holy  region,  where  new  expanses  of  light 
and  glory  in  all  directions  break  upon  the  sight,  where 
unimagined  wonders  are  revealed,  and  where  an  over- 
powering sense  of  divine  grace  swallows  up  every  earthly 
interest!  Turning  from  the  glorious  Gospel,  where  all 
this  is  found,  to  the  dubious  and  meagre  systems  of  hea- 
then sages,  how  impoverished,  how  dark  and  cold  do 
they  all  appear ! 

The  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  not  only  explain  the 
fiicts  and  principles  which  perplex  the  reasoning  mind, 
but  go  down  and  meet  the  irrepressible  cravings  of  the 
human  heart,  and  illumine  the  impenetrable  cloud  which 
has  enveloped  all  our  race.  Man  finds  himself  in  a 
world  of  disorder  and  sin,  suffering  and  death ;  feels 
within  him  longings  and  aspirations — longings  and  aspi- 
rations ever  unsatisfied — after  truth,  happiness  and  peace; 
discovers  himself  endowed  with  fficulties  and  affections 
that  seem  akin  to  heaven,  yet  sees  himself  excluded  from 
heaven  and  inevitably  descending  to  the  tomb  to  return 
to  dust  again.  And  from  the  very  depths  of  his  soul  he 
cries  out,  Who  shall  solve  the  problem  of  life?  Who 
shall  break. these  chains  of  darkness?  Who  shall  deliver 
from  this  bondage  of  sin  and  this  burden  of  guilt  ?  Who 
shall  dispel  the  terrors  of  the  tomb  and  reveal  what  lies 
beyond?  These  are  inquiries  that  sooner  or  later,  in  one 
form    or   another,   arise    in    every   reficcting    mind,   and 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  317 

oppress  it  with  a  weight  that  words  are  vain  to  describe. 
But  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  him  alone,  we  find  full  and 
clear  answers  to  all  these  questions.  The  revelations 
he  makes  explain  all,  harmonize  all.  His  wondrous  cross 
exhibits  at  once  the  root  and  the  remedy  of  all  evil — sin. 
His  own  victory  over  death  irradiates  the  grave  with 
triumphant  hopes.  And  the  light  which  he  brought  from 
above  brings  life  and  immortality  clearly  to  view. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  stands  alone  as  a  Teacher  of  man- 
kind, unapproached  and  unapproachable.  The  purity  and 
perfection  of  his  precepts,  and  the  number,  originality, 
harmony  and  grandeur  of  his  revelations,  separate  him 
by  an  impassable  distance  from  all  that  arose  before  his 
time,  or  that  have  appeared  since.  From  his  Divine 
Mind  there  shone  forth  a  light  which  neither  the  priest- 
hood of  Egypt,  nor  the  Shasters  of  India,  nor  the  philos- 
ophers of  Greece,  nor  the  Senators  of  Rome  ever  kindled, 
and  which  no  age  before  him  or  after  him  ever  saw. 
Like  the  Sun  in  the  heavens,  he  is  without  a  compeer 
or  a  rival,  incomparably  above  all. 


ANALOGY  XIII. 

As  the  (Sun's  light  is  reflected  from  the  ten  tliovsand  ohjccts  upon  which  it 
falls  in  so  miinii  systems  (f  ether  ivaves,  which,  thoiujh  simidtaneous  in 
their  outward  flow,  >/et  neither  obliterate  nor  confuse  one  another — .so 
the  (/racious  Ivjht  of  the  Sun  of  liighteousness,  falling  upon  ten  thousand 
hearts,  is  reflected  in  so  many  prayers,  which,  though  simultaneous  in 
their  ascent,  yet  neither  drown  nor  confound  one  another. 

Phenomena. 

The  medium  through  and  by  which  light  is  propagated, 
and  the  pictures  of  surrounding  objects  are  conveyed  to 
the  eye,  has  already  been  described  at  length,  in  Analogy 


318  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

5,  Part  II.,  of  this  work,  and  to  which  tho  reader  is  now 
referred.  In  that  chapter,  we  stated  that  the  sense  or 
impression  of  light  is  produced  in  the  eye  by  vibrations 
in  the  all-pervading  luminiferoiis  ether,  as  the  sense  or 
impression  of  sound  is  produced  in  the  ear  by  vibrations 
in  the  atmosphere.  And  both  these  processes,  we  there 
explained  by  reference  to  the  waves  observed  on  the 
surface  of  water;  this  is  an  excellent  illustration,  and  we 
take  it  up  again,  as  being  the  best  we  can  employ  for 
our  present  purpose. 

If  a  pebble  be  dropped  into  the  bosom  of  a  still  and 
smooth  sheet  of  water,  a  circular  depression  is  formed, 
at  the  point  where  it  sank,  which  spreads  wider  and 
wider,  with  uniform  velocity.  In  the  meanwhile  an  ele- 
vation has  been  formed  at  the  point  where  the  pebble,  in 
entering  the  water,  had  originally  caused  a  depression  ; 
then  as  this  sinks  back  to  its  original  level  it  produces  a 
wall-like  circular  elevation  around  it,  which  follows  up 
the  preceding  circular  depression  with  equal  velocity. 
Whilst  the  water  continues  its  up-and-down  movement 
at  the  point  struck,  fresh  wave-rings  appear  to  proceed 
from  this  central  point,  which,  owing  to  their  constantly 
spreading  more  and  more  widely,  give  the  illusory  ap- 
pearance of  the  fluid  streaming  out  on  all  sides  from 
the  middle  point. 

Now,  let  us  suppose  that,  instead  of  one  pebble,  two 
arc  dropped  into  the  water  at  the  same  instant,  but  at  a 
short  distance  one  from  the  other.  We  shall  have  then 
two  systems  of  circulnr  waves  moving  and  s^oreading  out 
as  before.  As  these  two  systems  intersect  eacli  other, 
they  divide  the  surface  of  the  Avater  into  a  regular  net- 
work of  small  elevations  and  depressions,  as  represented 
in  the  annexed  figure.  Yet  the  one  does  not  destroy  or 
efface  the   other;   at   the   points  where   two   wave-crests 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT. 


319 


meet,  the  surface  of  the  water,  if  the  two  waves  are  equal, 
rises  to  twice  the  height,  and  where  two  depressions  meet, 
it  sinks  to  double  the  depth.  Thus  each  wave  main- 
tains and  extends  unbroken  its  circular  and  moving  form, 
as  if  it  had  the  entire  surface  to  itself.  And  if,  instead 
of  two,  we  had  three,  or  in  fact,  any  number  of  pebbles 
dropped,  the  same  result  would  be  produced  by  each  of 
them.  In  other  words,  it  may  be  said  that  every  wave 
system  superimposes  itself  upon,  or  adds  itself  to,  a  sur- 
face already  moved  by  waves,  as  it  would  do  were  it 


INTERSECTION  OF  TWO  WAVE  SYSTEMS. 

acting  alone  on  that  surface  at  rest.  Every  wave  system 
forms  itself  unhindered  by  those  already  present,  and 
spreads  after  it  has  crossed  these,  upon  the  still  quiescent 
surface  of  the  w^ater  as  if  it  had  suffered  no  interruption 
in  its  outward  progress. 

Once  more :  suppose  that  when  we  have  flung  a  fistful 
of  pebbles  upon  the  water,  each  creating  its  little  system 
of  spreading  waves,  a  succession  of  large  billows  or  swells 
be  produced  by  the  wind  or  a  passing  steamboat,  we  shall 
see  that  even  these  do  not  destroy  the  little  waves  of  the 

20 


320  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

pebbles,  but  take  them  on  their  backs,  and  having  passed, 
leave  them  behind  with  their  original  forms  and  motions 
unaltered.  Of  all  this  we  may  witness  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration when  large  drops  of  rain  begin  to  fall  upon  the 
agitated  surface  of  a  lake  or  river. 

Now,  similar  results,  though  invisible,  are  produced  in 
the  atmosphere  by  a  blow  on  a  drum  or  a  bell,  or  by  any 
number  of  such  blows  given  in  succession.  These  aerial 
vibrations,  like  the  waves  upon  the  water,  do  not  destroy 
or  extinguish  one  another.  If  a  whole  orchestra,  com- 
posed of  numerous  and  diverse  instruments,  play  a  piece 
of  music  together,  each  pipe  and  each  string  will  create 
its  own  system  of  vibrations,  which  will  pass  outward 
through  the  atmosphere  without  disorder,  each  being 
endowed  with  an  individuality  as  indestructible  as  if 
it  alone  had  disturbed  the  quietude  of  the  still  air. 

If  now  we  advance  to  the  far  more  attenuated  and 
elastic  medium  of  light,  the  ether,  we  shall  find  the  same 
law  still  hold  good.  Here,  as  in  the  water  and  in  the 
air,  one  system  of  vibrations,  whether  set  in  motion  im- 
mediately by  the  Sun,  or  by  reflection  of  the  Sun's  rays 
from  some  terrestrial  object,  does  not  interrupt  or  confuse 
another  system.  Each,  though  it  may  have  crossed  a 
hundred  or  a  thousand  others,  maintains  its  existence 
and  its  identity  unchanged,  and  bears  on  its  bosom  a  cor- 
rect and  clear  representation  of  the  centre  or  object  from 
which  it  has  proceeded.  These  radiant  vehicles  of  light 
are  infallible  in  their  progress  and  office ;  from  ten  thou- 
sand points,  and  in  ten  thousand  directions,  they  unceas- 
ingly carry  and  imprint  the  messages  of  the  world  and 
of  the  universe.  If  we  enter  the  garden,  and  bend  over 
a  bed  of  diverse  flowers,  we  shall  find  that  each  green 
leaf  and  each  variegated  petal  sends  forth  its  little  sys- 
tem of  ethereal  vibrations,  announcing  infallibly  its  par- 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  321 

ticular  form  and  color.  If  we  stand  confronted  by  a  reg- 
iment of  soldiers,  the  countenance  of  each  individual,  in 
like  manner,  sends  forth  its  system  of  vibrations,  and  all 
meet  in  the  eye,  and  imprint  their  pictures  of  those 
countenances  on  the  retina  within  a  circle  that  does  not 
exceed  in  circumference  that  of  a  dime — not  one  is 
omitted ;  not  one  is  blurred.  If  we  look  out  on  the  broad 
landscape,  each  of  its  great  features  and  countless 
objects  does  the  same.  And  if  we  lift  our  eyes  to  the 
heavens  on  a  clear  night,  vibratory  waves  still  issue  from 
those  uncounted  stars  as  their  centres,  and  like  the  circles 
created  by  the  drops  of  a  shower  on  the  surface  of  a  lake, 
cross,  coincide,  oppose,  and  pass  through  each  other  with- 
out confusion  or  extinction.  The  waves  of  the  zenith  do 
not  jostle  out  of  existence  those  from  the  horizon,  nor 
those  from  the  horizon  such  as  descend  from  the  zenith, 
but  each  star,  wherever  situated,  is  clearly  seen  across 
all  the  entanglement  of  wave-motions  produced  by  all 
other  stars.  The  eye  receives  as  perfect  and  distinct 
an  impression  of  each,  as  if  no  other  shone  in  the  whole 
celestial  concave. 

What  a  marvel  of  creation,  then,  have  we  in  this 
ethereal  element — its  illimitable  extent,  its  inconceivable 
tenuity,  its  undecaying  elasticity,  its  countless  and  in- 
stantaneous vibrations — without  which  the  earth,  and 
the  stars,  and  even  the  Sun  itself  would  have  been 
wrapped  in  eternal  darkness !  And  what  an  organ  have 
we  in  the  eye,  with  its  congeries  of  related  parts,  to 
adapt  it  to  receive  and  interpret  these  ether  vibrations 
without  effort  or  delay,  and  thus  derive  from  it  a  thousand 
advantages  and  pleasures  every  hour!  And  to  what 
shall  we  ascribe  all  this?  To  chance?  To  the  blind 
and  senseless  evolution  of  the  materialist?  Sooner  let 
us  say  that  the  pictures  of  Raphael  have  been  produced 


322  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

by  the  dashing  of  the  waves ;  or  that  the  unerring  chro- 
nometer, which  guides  the  mariner  over  the  trackless 
main,  has  resulted  from  the  fortuitous  dancing  of  a  cloud 
of  dust.     Nay,  0  Lord  God, 

"  These  are  thy  glorious  works,  Parent  of  good, 
Almighty!    Thine  this  universal  frame, 
Thus  wondrous  fair  :  Thyself  how  wondrous  then  ! 
Unspeakable,  who  sitt'st  above  these  heavens 
To  us  invisible,  or  dimly  seen 
In  these  thy  lowest  works ;  yet  these  declare 
Thy  goodness  beyond  thought  and  power  divine." 

Teachings. 

Now,  as  the  Sun's  light,  in  the  manner  just  described, 
is  reflected  from  the  ten  thousand  objects  upon  which  it 
falls  in  so  many  systems  of  ether  waves,  which,  though 
simultaneous  in  their  outward  flow,  yet  neither  obliterate 
nor  confuse  one  another,  so  the  gracious  light  of  the  Swi 
of  Righteousness,  falling  upon  ten  thousand  hearts,  is 
reflected  in  so  many  aspiratio7is  or  prayers,  ichich,  though 
simultaneous  in  their  ascent,  yet  neither  drown  nor  con- 
found one  another.  Accordingly  it  is  written,  "Look 
unto  him,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  he 
is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask 
or  think,  according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us." 

The  luminiferous  ether,  as  stated  in  preceding  pages, 
occupies  all  space;  the  whole  material  creation  is  afloat  in 
it,  and  permeated  by  it.  It  penetrates  all  bodies,  even 
the  hardest  and  most  compact.  It  surrounds  the  very 
atoms  of  all  solids  and  liquids.  Its  presence  is  excluded 
from  no  place,  from  no  substance.  It  is  all-pervading. 
Man  finds  himself  surrounded  and  embraced  by  it 
wherever  he  goes.  Let  him  climb  to  the  summit  of  a 
mountain,  or  go  far  hence  upon  the  sea,  and  its  presence 
is  attested  by  every  object  that  he  beholds.  Let  him 
walk  forth  into  the  gloom  of  the  darkest  night,  or  descend 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  323 

into  the  depths  of  the  profoundest  cavern,  and  but  light  a 
candle  or  touch  a  match,  and  in  a  moment  it  manifests 
itself  even  here  in  the  rays  it  spreads  all  around.     And 
herein  we  have  an  impressive  type,  a  sensible  help  to  a 
conception,  of  the   omnipresence  of  the  .  Divine  Being. 
God  is  a  spirit,  and  in  a  similar  way,  but  infinitely  higher 
sense,  fills  immensity,  occupies  all  space ;  is  absent  from 
no  region,  excluded  from  no  locality,  no  substance.     And 
he  is  not  part  here  and  part  there,  nor  a  whole  anywhere, 
but  is  the  same  God,  complete  in  all  his  perfections,  in 
all  places — all  eye,  all  ear,  all  intellect,  at  every  point  of 
space,  occupied  or  not  occupied  by  created  things.     The 
material  universe,  in  all  its  parts,  and  with  all  its  living 
occupants,  to  use  the  words  of  the  immortal  Newton,  is 
afloat  within  "  his  boundless  uniform  sensorium."    Hence 
it  is  impossible  that  he   should  not  see  and    hear  and 
know  all  things,  in  every  place  and  at  every  moment  of 
time,  seeing  he  is  in  living  contact,  not  only  with  all 
matter,   but  with  all  the  springs   of  mental   activities. 
How  explicitly  and  how  sublimely  is  all  this  set  forth  in 
the  inspired  Word  :  "  0  Lord,  thou  hast  searched  me,  and 
known  me.      Thou  knowest  my  downsitting  and  mine 
uprising;  thou  understandest  my  thought  afar  off.    Thou 
compassest    my   path    and    my   lying    down,    and    art 
acquainted  with  all  my  ways.     For  there  is  not  a  word 
in  my  tongue,  but,  lo,  0  Lord,  thou  knowest  it  altogether. 
Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and  before,  and  laid  thine 
hand  upon  me.     Such  knowledge  is  too  wonderful  for  me ; 
it  is  high,  I  cannot  attain  unto  it.    Whither  shall  I  go  from 
thy  Spirit?  or  whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence? 
If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there  :  if  I  make  my 
bed  in  hell,  behold,  thou  art  there.     If  I  take  the  wings 
of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
sea,  even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me,   and  thy  right 


324  THE  CELE3I1AL  SYMBOL. 

hand  shall  hold  me.  If  I  say,  Surely  the  darkness  shall 
cover  me ;  even  the  night  shall  be  light  about  me.  Yea, 
the  darkness  hideth  not  from  thee ;  but  the  night  shineth 
as  the  day  :  the  darkness  and  the  light  are  both  alike  to 
thee."     Psalm  cxxxix.  1-12. 

And  now,  how  stands  all  this  in  relation  to  our  devo- 
tions— our  confessions,  supplications  and  thanksgivings? 
If  the  atmosphere  is  such  an  element  that  we  cannot 
speak,  or  whisper,  or  even  breathe,  but  it  is  moved 
thereby  into  quivering  vibrations;  and  if  the  ether  is- 
such  a  medium  that  we  cannot  strike  a  spark  or  the 
minutest  scintillation,  but  it  feels  it,  and  is  quickened  by 
it  into  instantaneous  and  outflying  waves  :  infinitely  more 
sensitive  is  the  living  omnipresent  Spirit  of  God  to  every 
spark  of  devotion,  every  sigh  of  prayer,  every  emotion  of 
penitence,  that  springs  up  in  the  hearts  of  his  earthly 
children.  Yea,  we  breathe  not  a  petition,  we  shed  not  a 
tear,  we  feel  not  a  pang,  but  it  vibrates  through  the 
bosom  of  our  Father  in  heaven,  and  awakens  there  its 
response  of  sympathy  and  mercy.  "  Like  as  a  father 
pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear 
him." 

Nor  does  the  simultaneous  offering  of  prayer  by  a 
thousand  other  suppliants  in  anywise  hinder  the  success^ 
of  our  own.  We  have  seen  that  the  numberless  systems 
of  light-waves  which  perpetually  flow  outward  from  all 
the  visible  objects  around  us  do  not  in  any  manner  or 
degree  interfere  one  with  another.  The  same  holds  true 
in  regard  to  the  myriad  aspirations  that  ascend  from  the 
earth  towards  the  throne  of  grace.  As  the  vibrations 
sent  forth  from  the  bosoms  of  all  the  gorgeous  flowers  in 
the  garden  do  not  extinguish  nor  enfeeble  those  that  pro- 
ceed from  the  lone  violet  under  yonder  bush;  so  the 
solemn  Litany  and  the  loud  Te  Deum  of  the  assembled 


FOUNTAIN    OE   LIGHT.  325 

multitude  before  the  altar  do  not  drown  the  "God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner  "  of  the  publican  that  stands  afar 
off.  And  as  the  wave  systems  of  light  that  come  down 
from  all  the  stars  of  heaven  do  not  quench  that  set  in 
motion  by  the  glow-worm ;  so  neither  do  all  the  anthems 
and  "  choral  symphonies  "  of  the  angels  around  the  throne 
silence  or  hinder  the  supplication  of  the  humblest  peti- 
tioner upon  his  footstool  earth.  The  prayer  of  faith,  like 
the  radiant  waves  of  light,  though  proceeding  at  one  and 
the  same  instant  from  a  million  hearts,  infallibly  and 
without  delay  reaches  the  ear  of  the  Father  of  Mercies. 

Nor,  once  more,  does  the  social  or  earthly  condition 
of  the  suppliant  affect  the  success  of  his  prayer.  Light 
waves  from  whatever  centre  they  proceed,  and  of  what- 
ever color  they  may  be — red,  blue,  yellow  or  indigo — 
travel  through  space  with  exactly  the  same  velocity.  So 
also  is  it  with  the  vibrations  of  prayer.  The  devotional 
offerings  of  believing  souls,  whatever  their  lot  or  condi- 
tion may  be — rich  or  poor,  learned  or  ignorant,  dwellers 
of  Greenland  or  Ethiops  of  Africa — ascend  with  equal 
speed  to  the  common  and  loving  Father  of  all,  and  find 
with  him  an  equal  audience.  The  prayer  of  the  monarch 
does  not  outstrip  the  suit  of  his  subject,  nor  the  peti- 
tion of  the  priest  gain  precedence  of  the  sighing  of  the 
prisoner.  "  For  there  is  no  difference  between  the  Jew 
and  the  Greek,  for  the  same  Lord  over  all  is  rich  unto 
all  that  call  upon  him." 


326  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ANALOGY  XIV. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature  darts  down  his  beams,  messengers  of  light,  with 
amazing  speed,  to  illumine  and  cherish  the  living  tenants  of  the  earth — 
so  the  iSun  of  Righteousness  sends  forth  his  angels  with  like  speed,  to 
minister  to  them  who  shall  he  heirs  of  salvation. 

Phenomena. 

That  sound  occupies  time  in  travelling  through  the  air 
is  a  fact  that  has  long,  if  not  always,  been  known.  Va- 
rious familiar  incidents  would  serve  to  reveal  this  to  the 
most  rude  and  unreflecting.  The  shepherd,  seeing  the 
woodman's  axe,  on  the  opposite  hill,  strike  the  tree, 
would  observe,  that  ere  he  heard  the  sound  of  the  stroke, 
that  axe  was  lifted  high  again  for  another  blow.  As  the 
sportsman  fired  his  gun,  a  mile  off,  the  passing  traveller 
would  perceive  the  flash,  but  would  mark  that  the  pulse 
in  his  wrist  beat  not  less  than  four  or  five  times  before 
the  report  saluted  his  ear,  this  length  of  time  having 
been  occupied  by  the  sound  in  reaching  him.  But  of  the 
motion  of  light  the  world  remained  in  total  ignorance 
through  the  long  ages  of  its  history.  Until  compara- 
tively a  recent  date,  light  was  supposed  to  pass  instanta- 
neously from  point  to  point,  however  remote.  To  detect 
the  motion  and  measure  the  speed  of  this  sublime  and 
refined  element  was  a  matter  of  far  greater  difficulty,  and 
remained  hidden  to  constitute  one  of  the  triumphs  of 
modern  science. 

The  earth,  as  all  know,  revolves  around  the  Sun  at 
the  distance  of  some  92,000,000  of  miles,  accompanied 
by  a  single  moon  ;  and  the  planet  Jupiter  revolves  in  like 
manner  fir  outside,  at  the  distance  of  475,000,000  of 
miles  from  the  Sun,  attended  by  four  moons,  which  en- 
circle it  at  different  distances  and  in  different  periods  of 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT. 


327 


time.  This  planet  and  its  four  satellites  constitute  a  dis- 
tinct and  beautiful  system  of  worlds,  which,  from  the 
time  of  its  discovery  by  Galileo,  has  presented  to  astron- 
omers a  most  interesting  subject  of  study,  and  from  which 
have  been  reaped  fruits  of  the  greatest  importance.  The 
observed  movements  of  this  miniature  system  furnished 
a  final  demonstration  of  the  Copernican  theory  of  astron- 
omy, and  also  a  satisfactory  confirmation  of  the  laws  of 
Kepler  respecting  the  periods  and  distances  of  the  plan- 
ets. From  this  system  likewise  has  been  deduced  an 
infallible  method  of  determining  longitude,  at  sea  or  on 


JUPITER  AND  ITS   SATELLITES. 


land ;  a  result  of  the  greatest  practical  interest  to  man- 
kind. But  the  grandest  discovery  of  all  made  by  means 
of  this  planet  system  was  the  velocity  of  light ;  and  the 
way  in  which  this  was  accomplished  we  now  proceed  to 
explain. 

The  satellites  of  Jupiter,  like  our  own  moon,  suffer 
frequent  eclipses,  by  falling  into  and  passing  through  the 
shadow  of  the  planet  on  the  side  opposite  to  the  Sun,  as 
represented  in  the  annexed  Figure.  The  three  interior 
of  them  are  so  near  the  planet  and  move  so  nearly  in 
the  same  plane,  that  they  pass  through  its  shadow  and 


328  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

undergo  an  eclipse  at  every  revolution.  These,  eclipses 
have  been  carefully  observed,  and  the  time  of  their  occur- 
rence registered,  ever  since  the  discovery  of  the  satellites. 
In  short,  their  dimensions,  distances,  forms,  and  situa^ 
tions  with  respect  to  the  planet,  are  now  perfectly  well 
known. 

The  earth's  orbit  being  within  that  of  Jupiter,  and  the 
two  planets  travelling  at  different  velocities,  it  is  obvious 
that  their  mutual  distance  must  continually  vary,  the 
variation  extending  from  the  sum  to  the  difference  of  their 
radii;  and  the  difference  of  the  greatest  and  least  dis- 
tances being  equal  to  the  diameter  of  the  earth's  orbit. 
All  this  will  be  apparent  by  a  glance  at  the  preceding  dia- 
gram. Now  it  was  observed  as  early  as  1675,  by  Roemer, 
a  Danish  astronomer,  on  comparing  together  observations 
of  eclipses  of  the  satellites  of  Jupiter  during  many  suc- 
cessive years,  that  the  eclipses  at  and  about  the  opposi- 
tion of  this  planet,  or  its  nearest  point  to  the  earth,  as  at 
B,  took  place  too  soon- — sooner,  that  is,  than,  by  calcula- 
tion from  an  average,  he  expected  them ;  whereas,,  those 
which  happened  when  the  earth  was  in.  the  part  of  its 
orbit  most  remote  from  Jupiter,  as  at  A,  were  always  too 
late.  In  fact,  there  was  a  difference  of  sixteen  minutes 
and  twenty-six  and  three-fifths  seconds  between  the  time 
at  which  the  eclipses  actually  appeared  to  occur,  from  A, 
and  the  time  when  they  appeared  to  occur,  from  B, 
Studying  and  inquiring  into  the  cause  of  this  perplexing 
discrepancy,  step  by  step  he  was  led  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  light  of  the  satellites,  as  they  emerged  from  the 
planet's  shadow,  must  occupy  that  length  of  time  in  cross- 
ing the  earth's  orbit  from  B  to  A,  a  distance  of  184,000,000 
of  miles.  Grand  conception!  It  explained  every  par- 
ticular of  the  phenomenon,  and  satisfactorily  did  away 
with  all  the  difficulties  it  presented.  The  problem  was 
solved. 


FOUNTAIN  OP  LIGHT.  •  329 

But  this  conclusion  seemed  to  give  Light  a,  velocity 
that  transcended,  not  only  all  that  had  been  discovered 
among  the  heavenly  bodies,  but  even  all  reasonable  be- 
lief. Its  announcement,  like  a  thunderclap,  startled,  the 
most  vigorous  and  profound  intellects  of  the  day ;  and 
however  conclusive  the  evidence  in  proof  appeared  to.  be, 
many  hesitated  to  give  to  it  their  full  assent,  anxiously 
looking  for  corroboration  from  some  other  quarters.  That 
corroboration  has  since  been  afforded  in  several  ways. 
Roemer's  conclusion  has  received  the  most  satisfactory 
confirmation  from  calculations  based  on  Bradley's  dis- 
covery of  the  Aberration  of  Lights  a  process  which  we 
cannot  stop  here  to  detail.  It  was  afterwards  proved  by 
M.  Fizeau,  by  direct  experiments  with  reflecting  mirrors; 
and,  lastly,  by  M.  Leon  Faucault  in  still  another  way. 
So  that  it  is  now  an  established  fact,  that  light  descends 
from  the  Sun  to  the  earth  in  eight  minutes  and  sixteen 
and  one-third  seconds,  thus  travelling  at  the  rate  of  185,- 
000  miles  per  second  ! 

Here,  truly,  we  have  one  of  the  greatest  marvels  of 
the  material  universe.  Who  can  appreciate  it?  Who 
can  form  an  adequate  conception  of  it  ?  All  our  ideas 
of  magnitude  and  motion  are  relative,  and  derived  from 
comparison.  Let  us  resort  to  comparison  to  assist  us  here. 
Time  was  when  "the  speed  of  the  horse,"  "the  flight  of 
a  bird,"  "  the  wings  of  the  wind,"  were  superlative  ex- 
pressions for  swiftness  of  motion;  but  what  are  these 
compared  to  the  motions  brought  to  light  by  the  science 
of  the  present  day  ?  The  globe  upon  which  we  dwell 
has  been  discovered  to  revolve  on  its  axis  with  a  speed 
that  carries  round  all  that  dwell  near  its  equator  at  the 
rate  of  1,000  miles  per  hour — a  speed  ten  times  that  of 
the  sweeping  hurricane.  In  its  forward  motion  along  its 
orbit,  the  earth  travels  at  a  rate  not  less  than  65,000 


330  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

miles  an  hour;  a  velocity  that  is  overwhelming  to  con- 
template. But  even  this  makes  no  approach  to  the  swift- 
ness of  light — the  light  waves,  in  their  descent  from  the 
Sun,  move  at  a  rate  not  less  than  10,000  times  faster  than 
the  earth  in  its  annual  career  through  the  heavens.  Or, 
if  it  would  help  our  conception  better,  we  may  add  that, 
the  swiftness  of  light  is  such  as  would  carry  it  round 
the  earth  more  than  seven  times  in  a  single  second  of 
time ! 

In  this  manner  and  by  these  means  the  Sun  holds 
speedy  and  unceasing  communication  with  all  the  plan- 
etary globes  that  compose  the  magnificent  system  of 
worlds  of  which  he  is  the  head  and  ruler.  On  the  swift 
wings  of  the  ether  vibrations  he  daily  sends  his  ben- 
eficent and  welcome  messengers,  light  and  heat,  to  all 
his  dependent  planets;  and  from  each  of  these  again,  by 
reflection,  they  fly  to  all  the  rest,  announcing  not  only 
its  continued  existence,  but  its  every  change  of  position 
or  brightness.  In  this  way  these  solar  messengers  come 
and  go  between  all  the  numerous  members  of  the  system, 
travelling  without  fail  and  without  weariness  the  voids 
of  space  in  all  conceivable  and  in  all  possible  directions. 
And  thus  the  great  Orb  of  Day  is  in  perpetual  and  infal- 
lible communication  with  every  province  of  his  vast 
empire. 

Teachings. 

In  what  has  now  been  stated  respecting  the  Sun  of 
nature,  we  may  discover  an  adumbration  or  type  of  the 
higher  and  living  system  of  communication  established  and 
maintained  between  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  and  every  j)07'- 
tion  of  his  sjm-itual  kingdom,  every  office-bearer  and  every 
member  of  his  true  church.  All  that  we  know  of  this  is 
purely  a  matter  of  revelation ;  and  in  his  holy  Word  he 
informs  us  that  his  ministers  and  messengers  are  "  the 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  331 

angels,"  "legions  of  angels,"  even  "an  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels;"  and  that  these,  at  his  bidding,  descend 
with  the  swiftness  of  light  to  the  earth,  and  walk  to  and 
fro  therein,  "  ministering  to  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of 
salvation."  On  the  authority  of  these  Scripture  state- 
ments the  great  epic  poet  of  England  has  said,  that 

"  Millions  of  spiritual  creatures  walk  the  earth 
Unseen,  both  when  we  wake,  and  when  we  sleep." 

Of  the  visitations  and  ministry  of  angels  we  have  re- 
lated to  us  numerous  instances  both  under  the  Jewish 
and  the  Christian  dispensations.  Angels  watched  over 
Abraham  his  chosen,  rescued  Lot  from  Sodom,  comforted 
Jacob  in  his  lone  wanderings,  encamped  around  David 
in  his  distress,  saved  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  and  wrought 
many  other  deliverances  for  Israel  his  people.  And 
when  we  come  down  to  the  New  Testament  history,  the 
benevolent  visits  of  angels  multiply  upon  us,  and  we  find 
their  presence  and  their  aid  spoken  of  familiarly,  and 
almost  as  things  of  course.  Angels  announced  the 
Saviour's  birth  to  the  shepherds  at  Bethlehem,  ministered 
to  him  at  the  close  of  his  protracted  fasting  and  tempta- 
tion, strengthened  him  in  his  agony  in  the  garden,  watched 
at  the  sepulchre  in  which  he  was  laid,  and  accompanied 
him  in  his  ascension  and  return  into  heaven.  An  angel 
liberated  the  apostles  when  incarcerated  for  declaring  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  appeared,  to  Philip  and  to  Cornelius, 
delivered  Peter  from  Herod's  prison  and  from  the  expecta- 
tion of  the  Jews,  and  stood  by  Paul  in  the  hour  of  im- 
pending shipwreck.  And  of  these  angelic  messengers,  it 
is  declared  in  general,  and  for  all  time,  that  they  are 
present  in  the  assemblies  of  Christians,  that  they  rejoice 
over  sinners  that  repent,  that  they  watch  over  Christ's 
little  ones,  that  they  minister  to  them  through  life,  and 


332  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

at  death  bear  their  ransomed  spirits  in  triumph  home  to 
glory. 

In  this  system  of  angelic  ministry  employed  by  Him 
who  is  Lord  of  all,  we  have  not  only  what  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  parallel  to  what  we  have  seen  carried  on  so 
marvellously  by  the  Sun  of  nature,  but  what  is  in  beauti- 
ful harmony  with  a  general  principle  of  the  Divine  ad- 
ministration. In  the  kingdom  of  grace  it  is  ordained  that 
one  class  or  grade  of  his  creatures  shall  aid  and  serve 
another  less  able  than  themselves.  Parents  are  appointed 
and  enjoined  to  assist  and  guide  their  children,  the  rich 
*to  pity  and  relieve  the  poor,  the  enlightened  to  instruct 
the  ignorant,  and  the  strong  to  help  and  shield  the  weak. 
So,  likewise,  the  wise  and  powerful  and  holy  angels  are 
appointed  to  succor,  protect,  and  guide  the  frail  and  im- 
periled disciples  of  Jesus.  Accordingly,  entering  with 
their  whole  heart,  as  they  ever  do,  into  the  purpose  of 
their  Divine  Lord,  and  delighting  to  do  his  will,  we  find 
that  on  whatever  occasion  they  are  sent  forth,  they  are 
exhibited  as  taking  an  intense  interest  in  the  scheme  of 
human  salvation,  as  being  keenly  alive  to  whatever 
affects  his  church,  and  as  sympathizing  most  tenderly 
with  his  people  in  all  their  trials  and  perils.  In  short, 
the  statements  of  the  Bible  are  such  as  compel  us  to  be- 
lieve, that  the  redeemed  sinners  of  earth  engage  the 
watchful  inspection  and  unceasing  care  of  myriads  of  the 
heavenly  hosts — that  these  illustrious  creatures  who  have 
never  swerved  from  their  loyalty  and  love,  gather  around 
those  who  come  out  of  the  mass  of  unrighteousness,  to 
sustain,  protect,  and  guide  them  through  the  perils  of  this 
wilderness,  until  they  enter  and  are  safely  lodged  within 
the  heavenly  fold. 

To  indicate  their  activity  and  swiftness  in  executing 
the  Divine  commands,  the  angels  are  represented  as  hav- 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  333 

ing  "wings" — wings  being  the  symbol  of  rapid  flight. 
Thus  Isaiah  :  "  I  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne,  high 
and  lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  temple.  Above  it 
stood  the  seraphim :  each  one  had  six  wings ;  with  twain 
he  covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  he  covered  his  feet, 
and  with  twain  he  did  fly."  So  in  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tion :  "  And  I  beheld,  and  heard  an  angel  flying  through 
the  midst  of  heaven,"  etc.;  and  again  :  "And  I  saw  another 
angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  everlasting 
gospel,"  etc.  For  both  proof  and  illustration  of  the 
swiftness  with  which  angels  fly  on  their  missions,  we 
need  but  refer  to  one  or  two  of  the  instances  on  record  in 
the  sacred  volume.  And  we  mention  first  that  related 
in  connection  with  Daniel  (ix.  20,  23),  and  which,  for 
the  reader's  convenience,  we  quote: — "And  while  I  was 
speaking,  and  praying,  and  confessing  my  sin,  and  the 
sin  of  my  people  Israel,  and  presenting  my  supplication 
before  the  Lord  my  God  for  the  holy  mountain  of  my 
God ;  yea,  while  I  was  speaking  in  prayer,  even  the  man 
Gabriel,  being  caused  to  fly  swiftly,  touched  me  about 
the  time  of  the  evening  oblation.  And  he  informed  me, 
and  talked  with  me,  and  said,  0  Daniel,  I  am  now  come 
forth  to  give  thee  skill  and  understanding.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  thy  supplications  the  commandment  came  forth, 
and  I  am  come  to  show  thee ;  for  thou  art  greatly  be- 
loved :  therefore  understand  the  matter  and  consider  the 
vision."  Now  let  us  mark  the  bearing  of  the  facts  em- 
braced in  this  remarkable  narrative  on  the  point  before 
us,  namely,  the  swiftness  of  angels'  flight. 

When  Daniel  entered  upon  his  devotions,  Gabriel  was 
in  Heaven,  that  holy  and  supreme  world,  the  dwelling 
place  of  angels  and  of  the  spirits  of  all  the  just  made 
perfect,  in  which  the  omnipresent  Deity  aflbrds  a  nearer 
and  more  immediate  view  of  his  perfections,  and  a  more 


334  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

sensible  manifestation  of  his  glory  than  in  anv  other 
part  or  province  of  his  boundless  dominions.  As  to  where 
heaven  is,  we  have  no  express  information ;  but  we  have 
many  and  good  reasons  for  believing  that  it  is  far  beyond 
the  uttermost  verge  of  the  system  of  worlds  to  which 
our  globe  belongs,  and  constitutes  the  centre  and  metrop- 
olis of  the  universe.  There  it  was  that  Gabriel  received 
the  command  to  go  forth  immediately  and  visit  Daniel, 
who  was  now  humbling  himself  and  offering  his  suppli- 
cations in  this  nether  world,  and  convey  to  him  the  im- 
portant message  related  in  the  latter  part  of  this  chapter. 
Now,  Daniel  liad  begun  his  prayer  when  the  command 
was  issued.  The  prayer  is  here  recorded,  and  the  delib- 
erate and  solemn  utterance  of  the  whole  of  it  could  not 
have  occupied  more  than  five  or  six  minutes;  yet  before 
he  had  finished  it,  "yea,  while  he  was  yet  speaking  in 
prayer,"  Gabriel  being  caused  to  fly  swiftly,  reached  the 
spot  where  he  was  bowing  before  the  Lord,  and  touched 
him,  and  said  to  him,  "  0  Daniel,  I  am  now  come  forth 
to  give  thee  skill  and  understanding.  At  the  beginning 
of  thy  supplications  the  commandment  came  forth,  and 
I  am  come  to  show  thee ;  for  thou  art  greatly  beloved." 
In  so  short  a  time  did  he  traverse  the  mighty  space 
which  separates  Plighest  Heaven  from  earth.  Here,  then, 
was  speed  that  as  far  outstripped  the  speed  of  light,  in- 
comprehensible as  that  is,  as  the  speed  of  light  outstrips 
that  of  sound.  It  occupies  light  to  reach  the  earth  from 
the  outermost  planet  of  our  system,  full  four  hours ;  but 
Gabriel,  on  this  errand  of  grace,  came  from  the  Heaven 
of  heavens  in  as  many  minutes — came  with  the  rapidity 
of  thought !     Well  and  truly  hath  the  poet  said, 

"  The  speed  of  Angels  time  counts  not." 

A  similar  visitation  of  an  angel  we  find  in  the  history 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  335 

of  St.  Paul,  which,  though  not  so  specifically  detailed, 
yet  must  involve  substantially  the  same  facts.  It  oc- 
curred during  that  memorable  voyage  from  Caesarea  to 
Rome,  when,  through  the  protracted  violence  of  the 
storm,  all  hope  of  being  saved  was  taken  away.  But 
this  devoted  disciple  of  Jesus  was  not  left  without  hope ; 
an  angel  was  sent  down  to  reassure  and  comfort  him. 
And  when  all  others  had  yielded  to  despair,  he  exhorted 
and  said  to  his  fellow-voyagers,  "  Be  of  good  cheer,  for 
there  shall  be  no  loss  of  any  man's  life  among  you,  but 
of  the  ship.  For  there  stood  by  me  this  night  the  angel 
of  God,  whose  I  am,  and  whom  I  serve."  This  angel, 
without  doubt,  as  in  the  case  of  Daniel,  was  specially 
commanded  and  sent  forth  by  God,  to  minister  to  his 
faithful  vservant  in  this  hour  of  great  peril.  The  Divine 
behest  announced,  *'  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  my  God," 
was  the  devout  response ;  and  casting  his  eye  over  the 
wilderness  of  suns  and  systems  which  lay  before  him, 
with  a  glance  he  discerned  among  them  the  diminutive 
and  distant  globe  for  which  he  was  commissioned ;  and 
though  that  globe  was  rushing  through  space  at  the  rate 
of  65,000  miles  per  hour,  and  at  the  same  time  rotating 
.swiftly  upon  its  axis,  yet  nor  distance  nor  speed  pre- 
sented any  difficulty  to  him.  Quickly  he  overtakes  the 
Hying  planet,  marks  its  revolving  meridians,  and,  unhin- 
dered by  tempest  or  darkness,  at  once  alights  by  the 
side  of  that  weary  and  exhausted  heir  of  salvation,  to 
minister  the  needed  cheer  and  assurance — "  Fear  not, 
Paul ;  thou  must  be  brought  before  Caesar,  and  God  hath 
given  thee  all  them  that  sail  with  thee."  Such  is  the 
speed  of  angels. 

The  earth  being  but  one  of  the  inferior  dependencies 
of  the  Great  King,  we  may  reasonably  suppose  that  these 
angelic  beings  may   visit  the  other  and   greater  worlds 

21 


336  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

which  compose  the  system  of  creation  to  which  our  globe 
belongs — that  they  wing  their  flight  from  planet  to  planet 
on  similar  errands,  to  minister  in  a  thousand  ways  to 
their  innumerable  and  diversified  populations.  We  read 
of  "  angels  in  the  heavenly  world,"  of  "  angels  standing 
on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,"  of  "  the  angel  of  the 
bottomless  pit,"  and  of  "  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun ; " 
why,  then,  should  it  be  incredible  that  they  may  be 
often  commissioned  to  visit  the  magnificent  worlds  of  Ju- 
piter, Saturn,  Uranus  and  Neptune  ?  Nay,  there  is  noth- 
ing to  forbid  the  supposition  that,  they  may  pass  from 
system  to  system  to  execute  the  decrees  and  to  further 
the  plans  of  the  Most  High.  Certain  it  is  that  the  names 
given  to  them  in  the  scriptures — Thrones,  Dominions, 
Principalities  and  Powers — imply  the  exercise  of  such 
offices.  And  if  this  be  so,  in  the  course  of  the  countless 
ages  of  the  past,  who  can  conceive  what  numerous  and 
mighty  journeys  they  have  accomplished,  what  displays 
of  creative  wisdom  and  power  they  have  witnessed,  or 
what  natural  and  moral  wonders  they  have  surveyed ! 
When  the  Sun  was  kindled  in  the  heavens,  and  the 
globe  upon  which  we  dwell  was  called  into  being,  trans- 
ported with  the  display  of  omnific  power  and  infinite 
wisdom,  we  read  that  these  '•'  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether, and  all  these  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy."  And 
it  may  have  been  their  privilege,  many  times  since,  to 
witness  a  repetition  of  the  stupendous  scene  in  different 
regions  of  infinite  space. 

What  a  fruitful  field  for  contemplation  does  the  min- 
istry of  angels  open  up  to  us  !  What  new  and  surprising 
ideas  of  spiritual  existences  does  it  suggest !  What  sub- 
lime prospects  does  it  reveal !  From  facts  such  as  have 
now  been  related,  it  appears  that  the  general  laws  and 
great  forces  of  the  material  universe  have  no  power  over 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  337 

angelic  or  spiritual  beings.  Gravitation  neither  weighs 
them  down,  nor  impedes  them  in  their  progress.  Heat 
and  cold  do  not  aflfect  them.  The  blaze  of  Suns  does 
not  dazzle  them,  nor  the  darkness  of  the  deep  obscure 
their  vision.  What  marvels  of  existences !  But  what 
invests  this  aspect  of  the  nature  and  offices  of  angels  with 
special  interest  to  us  is  the  hope  given  us  of  attaining  to 
similar  powers  and  privileges,  when  we  shall  leave  the 
present  and  enter  upon  our  future  state  of  being.  "  They 
who  shall  be  counted  worthy  to  obtain  that  world,"  saith 
the  Saviour,  "  can  die  no  more,  for  they  are  equal  with 
the  angels,  and  are  the  children  of  God."  That  is,  they 
shall  be  elevated  above  the  conditions  of  mortality,  and 
be  endowed  with  the  powers  and  privileges  of  angels. 
Or,  as  Matthew  Henry  interprets  the  words,  "  They  shall 
be  angels'  peers,  and  shall  see  the  same  sight,  be  employed 
in  the  same  work,  and  share  in  the  same  joys  with 
angels."  Accordingly,  in  another  scripture,  the  angels 
are  said  to  he  felloiD- servants  with  the  saints.  We  are 
warranted  hence  to  infer  that,  redeemed  souls  have  set 
before  them  the  inspiring  hope  of  being  endowed  with  the 
power  and  energy  of  angels,  and  of  being,  like  them,  able 
to  fly  from  world  to  world  with  the  speed  of  light. 
Moses  and  Elias,  after  long  centuries  of  absence  from  the 
earth,  came  thus  from  glory  to  converse  with  Jesus  on 
the  Mount  of  Transfiguration ;  and  we  shall  be  like  unto 
them.  Yea,  more  is  said  :  when  the  Lord  shall  appear 
in  his  glory,  with  his  holy  angels,  we  shall  be  UJce  Him, 
for  we  shall  see  Him  as  he  is." 

What  a  prospect,  then,  is  that  set  before  the  humble 
followers  of  Jesus!  Once  emancipated  from  the  flesh, 
they  ascend  unto  "the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  to  join  the  innumerable  company  of  angels, 
and  the  general  assembly  of  the  just  made  perfect."    From 


338  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

thence  it  may  be  theirs  to  go  forth,  as  on  the  wings  of 
light,  to  survey  the  unnumbered  wonders  of  other  worlds, 
the  habitations  of  different  grades  of  intellectual  and 
moral  beings,  to  witness  their  social  order,  and  to  join 
with  them  in  their  worship  of  the  Lord  God  omnipotent. 
It  may  be  theirs  to  roam  over  the  broad  belts  of  Jupiter, 
and  to  survey  the  overaching  rings  of  Saturn.  Yea,  they 
may  spend  the  unending  ages  of  futurity  in  passing  from 
globe  to  globe,  and  from  system  to  system,  contemplating 
the  endlessly  varied  displays  of  divine  wisdom  and 
power  and  goodness  which  the  illimitable  universe  every- 
where presents.  Oh,  what  sublime  prospects,  what 
ravishing  discoveries,  what  divine  entertainments  await 
the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  made  like  and  equal 
to  the  angels !  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  ear  hath  not  heard, 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things 
that  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him." 


ANALOGY  XV. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun,  while  it  reveals  all  else,  remains  itself  invisible — so 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Sun  of  Kighteousness,  ichile  "  he  reveals  all  things 
pertaining  to  life  and  godliness, ^^  himself  cayinot  he  seen  or  apprehended 
by  any  of  our  senses. 

Phenomena. 

It  is  the  impression  of  men  in  general  that  they  can 
see  light,  and  any  statement  to  the  contrary  seems  to 
them  incredible;  and  if  they  are  told  that  light  is  invis- 
i  ble,  they  are  at  once  disposed  to  reply  that,  if  they  know 
anything,  they  know  that  they  see  the  light  of  the  Sun. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  fact;  light  cannot  be  seen. 
This  we  now  proceed  to  prove  and  illustrate. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  339 

Light,  though  the  cause  of  vision,  is  itself  invisible. 
A  sunbeam,  indeed,  is  said  to  be  seen  when  it  enters 
through  a  hole  in  a  shutter,  and  shoots  across  a  dark 
room ;  or  when  luminous  bands  or  rays  are  observed  to 
dart  from  the  Sun  through  openings  in  the  clouds,  spread- 
ing like  a  fan  towards  the  horizon.  But  the  thing  seen 
in  such  cases  is  not  the  light,  but  the  floating  dust  in  the 
room,  or  the  innumerable  particles  of  vapor  or  smoke 
afloat  in  the  air,  which  catch  and  reflect  a  small  portion 
of  the  light.  The  same  thing  may  be  observed  in  a 
foggy  night,  when  the  light  from  the  lamp  of  a  locomo- 
tive seems  to  throw  out  a  broad  diverging  luminous 
cone ;  this  cone,  as  before,  is  formed  by  the  reflection  of 
the  minute  particles  composing  the  vapor;  it  consists 
simply  of  the  illuminated  portion  of  the  fog.  If  the  air 
was  perfectly  dry  and  clear  (which,  as  a  fact,  it  never 
is),  no  such  cone  could  be  seen,  though  the  lamp  contin- 
ued brilliant  as  ever.  We  become  sensible  of  the  exist- 
ence of  light  only  through  the  presence  of  some  material 
object  or  substance  upon  which  it  falls,  and  from  which 
it  is  reflected. 

The  lisrht  or  ether  waves  flow  outward  from  the  Sun 
in  all  directions  and  without  intermission,  filling  an 
immeasurable  sphere  of  space  around  him ;  but  these 
waves  are  invisible,  and  their  existence  is  made  known 
only  at  such  points  of  space  as  are  occupied  by  some  ma- 
terial body  or  globe,  such  as  the  moon,  from  which  they 
are  reflected.  This  may  be  illustrated  in  some  degree  by 
the  motion  of  the  atmosphere.  A  man  looking  out  of  his 
window,  over  a  broad  and  naked  plain,  sees  at  a  distance 
a  windmill  turning  rapidly  ;  from  this  he  knows  that  the 
air  must  move  over  that  spot  with  great  speed ;  but  half 
a  mile  to  the  right,  or  half  a  mile  to  the  left,  he  can  dis- 
cern no  evidence  of  any  current  or  motion  in  the  air ; 


340  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

nevertheless,  the  wind  blows  just  as  strongly  at  these 
points  as  at  that  occupied  by  the  revolving  wheel,  and  if 
this  could  be  instantly  removed  to  either  of  these  spots, 
it  would  prove  this  to  be  the  fact  by  its  equally  rapid 
revolution.  The  wind  sweeps  equally  over  the  whole 
plain,  but  manifests  itself  only  where  it  strikes  the  wheel. 
Something  similar  to  this  is  the  case  with  the  outward 
flow  of  hght-waves  from  the  Sun.  These  are  in  rapid 
and  perpetual  motion  everywhere,  but  their  existence  is 
revealed  only  where  they  fall  upon  some  body  of  matter, 
such  as  the  moon  or  the  planets,  from  which  they  are 
reflected  to  the  eye  and  become  known ;  but  all  around 
those  globes,  like  the  wind  around  the  windmill,  they 
pass  on  unimpeded  and  invisible. 

To  prove  this,  let  the  reader  go  out  on  a  dark  night, 
and  let  him  fix  firmly  a  telescope,  or  any  simple  tube, 
pointing  directly  to  the  moon.  Looking  through  it,  he 
sees  her  a  bright  circle  in  the  firmament;  but  this  globe 
is  a  mass  of  dead,  dull  matter,  and  has  no  light  in  itself; 
it  becomes  luminous  by  reflecting  the  light-waves  that  fall 
upon  it  from  the  Sun.  Now,  let  him  wait  an  hour,  while 
the  moon  is  advancing  in  her  nightly  round,  and  then 
look  through  his  telescope  still  fixed  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, and  lo,  all  is  dark,  though  we  are  sure  the  light- 
waves sweep  over  the  spot  just  as  they  did  wlien  the 
moon  was  there ;  but  he  sees  them  not ;  in  themselves 
they  are  invisible.  Let  him  now  shift  the  direction  of 
his  telescope,  and  fix  it  so  as  to  point  to  a  spot  some  ten 
or  fifteen  degrees  in  advance  of  that  occupied  by  her  at 
present,  and  look  through,  and  all  is  dark  ;  but  let  him  wait 
again  till  the  moon  shall  arrive  at  that  point,  and  then 
look  up ;  behold,  there  again  she  presents  a  disc  bright 
as  ever.  The  light-waves  were  there  before  her  arrival, 
and  she  becomes  visible  only  by  entering  and  reflecting 
them,  for  she  has  no  light  of  her  own. 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  341 

What  is  thus  true  of  the  moon  is  equally  true  of  the 
planets  and  all  their  satellites.  These,  likewise,  have  no 
light  in  themselves,  but  become  visible  only  by  reflecting 
the  light  of  ether  waves ;  and  as  they  continue  visible  at 
every  moment  throughout  their  vast  circuits,  it  is  mani- 
fest that  they  are  every  moment  floating  in  the  ocean  of 
light-waves  proceeding  from  the  Sun.  Light,  then,  there 
is  at  all  times,  through  all  the  space  occupied  by  the 
planetary  system,  but  not  visible  as  a  thing.  It  exists 
as  an  agency,  and  is,  at  every  point,  in  ceaseless  activit3^ 
All  the  dark  void  around  our  globe  (outside  of  its  shadow) 
is,  so  to  speak,  flooded  with  the  Sun's  light,  yet  we  see 
it  not,  and  perceive  only  darkness. 

The  common  idea,  and  the  expressions  in  common  use, 
therefore,  are,  strictly  speaking,  erroneous.  We  cannot 
see  light.  "  In  interstellar  space,"  says  Tyndall,  "  we 
should  be  plunged  in  darkness,  though  the  waves  from 
all  suns  and  all  stars  might  be  speeding  through  it.  We 
should  see  the  suns  and  we  should  see  the  stars  them- 
selves, but  the  moment  we  ceased  to  face  a  star,  the 
moment  we  turned  our  backs  upon  it,  its  light  would  be- 
come darkness,  though  the  ether  all  around  us  might  be 
agitated  by  its  waves.  We  cannot  see  the  ether  or  its 
motions,  and  hence,  strictly  speaking,  it  is  a  misuse  of 
language  to  speak  of  its  waves  or  rays  being  visible." 

But  light,  while  thus  itself  invisible,  reveals  all  created 
objects,  great  or  small,  near  or  afar  off".  Nothing  upon 
which  its  beams  fall  can  remain  hidden.  Let  the 
eclipsed  satellite,  however  small,  but  peep  from  behind 
its  parent  orb,  and  instantly  light  reveals  its  face.  Let 
the  distant  Neptune  roll  on  in  its  lonely  path  to  the  re- 
motest part  of  its  orbit,  and  light  will  detect  and  expose 
it  even  there.  Let  the  comet  return  from  its  wanderings 
for   thousands  of  years   through   the  depths  of  infinite 


S42  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

space,  and  light  will  at  once  announce  its  approach.  Let 
the  filmy  cloud  float  through  the  highest  region  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  light  in  a  moment  acquaints  us  with  its 
presence  and  its  direction.  Or,  let  a  ship  arrive  and 
rest  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon,  or  a  flag  wave  on  the 
distant  mountain  top,  or  a  beast  flit  across  the  vanishing 
plain,  and  light,  without  delay,  proclaims  its  form  and 
color  and  motion.  Nothing  is  too  remote,  or  too  little, 
for  the  refinement  of  its  detective  and  revealing  powers. 
It  illumines  and  shows  to  us  the  very  minutiae  of  nature, 
animate  and  inanimate.  It  exhibits  the  movements  and 
members  and  functions  even  of  the  animalcules,  whose 
diminutiveness  is  so  extreme  that  a  million  of  them  find 
an  ample  world  within  the  circumference  of  a  single  drop 
of  water.  But  while  it  thus  reveals  all  else,  itself  remams 
invisible,  inaudible  and  intangible,  a  hidden  mystery, 
inapprehensible  to  all  mortal  sense. 

Teachings. 

In  this  invisible  nature  and  activity  of  light,  we  have 
a  beautiful  analogy  to,  and  illustration  of  the  operations 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  minds  of  men,  who,  wJdJe  he 
reveals  to  them  "  all  things  pertaining  to  life  and  godli- 
ness" yet  himself  remains  unseen  and  undiscerned. 

A  spirit,  even  the  spirit  of  a  man  or  of  an  angel,  from 
its  very  nature,  is  not  to  be  perceived  by  any  of  our  cor- 
poreal senses.  Being  an  immaterial  substance,  it  cannot 
be  discerned  by  organs  that  are  material.  These  are 
altogether  destitute  of  the  requisite  perceptivity  to  receive 
impressions  from  a  spiritual  existence.  As  the  percep- 
tion of  colors  is  beyond  the  powers  of  the  ear ;  or,  as  the 
distinction  of  sounds  is  beyond  the  powers  of  the  eye,  so 
the  discerning  of  a  spirit  is  beyond  the  powers  of  all  our 
senses.     And  if  this  be  the  case  in  regard  to  a  created 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  343 

spirit,  much  more  with  respect  to  the  Uncreated  and 
Eternal.  The  Divine  Holy  Spirit  is  infinitely  above  and 
beyond  the  cognizance  of  all  human  powers.  He  is  an 
omnipresent  Mind,  an  immense  Intelligence,  "dwelling 
in  light  which  no  man  can  approach  unto ;  whom  no  man 
hath  seen  nor  can  see." 

Though  the  Holy  Spirit,  like  light,  be  thus  invisible 
to  mortal  eyes,  yet,  like  the  light  also,  he  reveals  to  them 
all  truth  and  knowledge  necessary  to  spiritual  and  eternal 
life.  Early  he  revealed  to  men  the  plan  of  human  re- 
demption. At  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners,  we 
are  told,  holy  men  of  old,  prophets  and  apostles,  spake 
of  this  "  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  "  The 
Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them,"  saith  Peter,  "  testi- 
fied beforehand  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow."  And  Paul,  the  chosen  agent  to 
make  known  the  way  of  salvation  to  the  Gentiles,  says, 
"  By  revelation  he  made  known  unto  me  the  mystery, 
which  in  other  ages  was  not  made  known  unto  the  sons 
of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto  the  holy  apostles  and 
prophets  by  the  Spirit."  Again, "'  Eye  hath  not  seen,  ear 
hath  not  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  gf 
man,  the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  him ;  but  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  his 
Spirit."  Thus  all  holy  scripture  was  given  by  the  Inspi- 
ration of  the  Divine  Spirit ;  yet  those  who  received  these 
his  communications  "  neither  heard  his  voice  nor  saw  his 
shape,  at  any  time." 

The  revelations  of  the  Spirit,  it  is  our  happiness  to  be 
assured,  ceased  not  with  the  prophets  and  apostles ;  they 
are  still  continued  to  the  children  of  men.  But  the  rev- 
elations he  now  makes  are  not  new  truths,  but  7ww  and 
correct  vieios  of  truths  already  given.  "  The  natural  man 
receiveth  not  the  things  of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness 


344  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

unto  him ;  neither  c«an  he  know  them,  because  they  are 
spiritually  discerned."  Hence  the  necessity  that  the 
eyes  of  his  understanding  be  enlightened  by  the  Spirit. 
Accordingly,  the  apostle  addressing  those  who  had  become 
Christians,  saith  to  them :  "  Ye  are  a  peculiar  people,  and 
should  show  forth  the  praises  of  him  who  hath  called 
you  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light." 

The  Holy  Spirit  reveals  to  man  the  true  meaning  and 
spirit  of  the  law  of  God.  With  the  letter  of  this  law  he 
may  be  acquainted,  may  be  so  familiar  as  to  be  able  to 
repeat  it  like  his  alphabet ;  but  in  his  natural  state,  he 
has  no  proper  apprehension  of  the  exceeding  length  and 
breadth,  depth  and  height  of  its  requirements ;  he  sees 
not  its  extent  and  purity  and  holiness  and  justice;  real- 
izes not  that  it  reaches  to  the  very  thoughts,  intents  and 
emotions  of  the  soul — that  it  prohibits  the  covetous 
desire  as  well  as  the  dishonest  act,  and  condemns  the 
lustful  glance  no  less  than  the  unclean  deed — in  short, 
that  nothing  less  than  supreme  love  to  God  in  all  his 
conduct  will  meet  its  demands.  Such  an  apprehension 
of  the  Divine  Law  is  nothing  less  than  a  revelation. 

^  The  Holy  Spirit  also  reveals  to  man  his  own  true  char- 
acter. The  view  he  has  of  himself  by  the  light  of  nature 
and  that  he  acquires  by  the  light  of  the  Spirit  are  widely 
different.  In  his  native  state  he  is  disposed  to  think 
well  of  himself,  and  to  palliate  his  errors  and  failings  by 
many  excuses.  But  when  the  Spirit  holds  up  the  Law 
in  its  purity  and  spirituality,  as  a  clear  mirror,  before  his 
face,  he  discovers  his  real  character  and  condition,  his 
sinfulness  and  his  guilt  and  his  peril.  With  eyes  en- 
lightened and  conscience  quickened,  a  thousand  things  in 
his  heart  and  life,  which  he  had  been  wont  to  esteem  as 
harmless,  now  appear  to  be  positive  sins ;  and  what  he 
once  regarded  as  slight  or  venial  deviations  are  now  seen 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  345 

to  be  aggravated  offences  against  God.  Sins  past,  sins 
forgotten,  sins  of  which  he  had  ceased  to  be  conscious, 
now  revive  and  arise  as  living  swarms  before  his  view, 
look  to  whatever  portion  of  his  history  he  may.  He 
finds  and  feels  that  the  Law  condemns  him  at  every  point 
and  through  every  period  of  his  life.  While  "  without 
the  law,"  that  is,  without  a  right  understanding  of  the 
law,  "  he  was  alive ; "  but  now  that  the  commandment 
has  come,  illuminated  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  "sin  revives, 
and  he  dies." 

Again,  the  Spirit  reveals  to  man  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
only  Saviour  from  guilt  and  condemnation.  Of  this  Re- 
deemer, and  of  his  gracious  mission  into  the  world,  he 
had  heard  from  his  earliest  childhood,  but  felt  no  personal 
interest  in  him,  no  personal  need  of  him.  But  now  that 
he  has  discovered  his  sinfulness,  his  condemned  and 
perishing  condition,  he  realizes  his  need  of  a  Saviour; 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  opens  his  eyes  to  see  in  Christ  just 
such  a  Saviour  as  his  case  requires — to  see  in  his  death 
a  full  atonement  for  his  sins — to  see  in  his  righteousness 
a  full  satisfaction  to  the  demands  of  the  Law  against  him 
— to  see  in  him  an  all-availing  Intercessor  with  God  in 
his  behalf — to  see  in  him  an  Almighty  Friend,  able  and 
willing  to  conduct  him  safely  through  all  the  perils  of  life, 
and  at  last  to  bring  him  home  to  everlasting  rest  and 
glory.  And  beholding  him  in  this  attractive  light,  he 
flees  to  him  for  life,  and  commits  himself  soul  and  body 
into  his  hands,  as  unto  a  faithful  Creator. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  in  short,  reveals  to  the  believing  soul 
all  tilings  in  a  neio  light,  so  that  he  can  say,  "  Old  things 
are  passed  away;  behold,  all  things  are  become  new." 
"  He  has  new  views  of  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ ;  new 
views  of  this  world  and  of  the  world  to  come ;  new  views 
of  truth  and  duty ;  and  everything  is  seen  in  a  new  aspect 


346  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  with  new  feelings.  The  Bible  seems  to  be  a  new 
book,  and  though  he  may  have  often  read  it  before,  yet 
there  is  a  beauty  about  it  which  he  never  saw  before,  and 
which  he  wonders  he  has  not  perceived.  The  whole 
face  of  nature  seems  to  him  to  be  changed,  and  he  seems 
to  be  in  a  new  world.  The  hills  and  vales  and  streams, 
the  Sun,  the  stars,  the  groves,  the  forests,  seem  to  be  new. 
A  new  beauty  is  spread  over  them  all,  and  he  now  sees 
them  to  be  the  work  of  God,  and  his  glory  is  spread  over 
them  all ;  and  he  can  now  say,  *  My  Father  made  them 
all.'  The  heavens  and  the  earth  are  filled  with  new 
wonders,  and  all  things  seem  now  to  speak  forth  the 
praise  of  God.  Even  the  very  countenances  of  friends 
seem  to  be  new ;  and  there  are  new  feelings  towards  all 
men ;  a  new  kind  of  love  to  kindred  and  friends ;  a 
love  before  unfelt  for  enemies;  and  a  new  love  for  all 
mankind."  * 

Such  are  the  gracious  revelations  which  the  Divine 
Spirit  makes  to  the  children  of  men.  But  in  all  these 
disclosures,  the  happy  subject  of  them  neither  sees  the 
form  nor  hears  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  that  makes  them. 
As  with  the  ether  waves,  so  with  this  Divine  and  Holy 
Agent,  in  all  his  communications,  there  is  nothing  visible, 
nothing  audible,  nothing  palpable,  nothing  ascertainable 
by  any  of  the  senses.  He  knows  their  truth  and  reality 
only  by  their  effects,  as  he  knows  the  reality  of  the  light- 
waves by  their  illumination  of  the  moon's  disc.  The 
influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are  so  gentle,  so  harmonious 
with  all  the  workings  of  his  own  mental  faculties,  as  to 
insinuate  themselves  unperceived  by  the  mind  of  him 
who  is  the  subject  of  them.  He  is  wrought  upon  in  such 
a  manner,  that  he  is  not  able  to  discriminate  between  the 
gracious  impulses  of  the  Spirit  and  his  own  mental  acts. 

*  Barnes'  Notes,  2  Cor,  v.  17. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  347 

And  if  the  reader  be  disposed  with  Nicodemus  to  ask, 
*"  How  can  these  things  be  ?  "  it  may  be  well  for  him  also 
to  recall  the  answer  which  the  Divhie  Master  gave  to  that 
hesitating  inquirer.  If  he  cannot  understand  such  earthly 
things  as  the  action  of  the  ether  waves  in  producing  the 
sense  of  light  within  his  brain,  he  should  not  marvel  if  he 
cannot  comprehend  such  heavenly  things  as  the  mode  in 
which  the  eternal  Holy  Spirit  affects  the  soul  of  man. 
In  each  case  the  way  how  is  a  mystery,  but  the  fact  is  as 
clear  and  certain  in  the  one  as  it  is  in  the  other. 


ANALOGY  XVI. 

As  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  nature^  falling  upon  defective  organs  of  vision,  is 
obstructed  and  fails  to  confer  its  full  advantages — so  the  light  of  the  Sun 
of  liighteou^ness,  falling  upon  perverse  minds,  is  opposed  and  fails  to 
impart  the  fullness  of  its  blessings. 

Phenomena. 
We  have  already  described  the  structure  of  the  eye, 
and  seen  that  it  is  a  very  complicated  organ ;  that  it  is 
composed  of  numerous  parts  admirably  adjusted  to  one 
another,  and  that  it  is  endowed  with  sensibility  of  ex- 
treme delicacy  to  receive  impressions  from  the  most  re- 
fined and  ethereal  element  in  nature.*  It  is,  therefore, 
an  organ  easily  injured  or  deranged;  no  organ  in  the 
body,  perhaps,  is  more  so.  It  is  subject  to  a  vast  number 
of  diseases  within  itself,  and  is  exposed  to  an  endless 
variety  of  accidents  from  without.  Hence  it  is  no  un- 
common thing  to  meet  with  persons  laboring  under  the 
inconveniences  of  a  defective  vision,  or  even  with  such  as 
mourn  its  total  and  final  extinction. 

•  See  Part  II.,  Analogy  4. 


348  THE   CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

The  mental  vision,  also,  is  one  of  great  refinement  and 
sensibility,  and  subject  to  injuries  and  derangements  as 
numerous  in  kind  and  as  various  in  degrees  as  those  of 
the  eye.  Like  that  organ,  it  is  the  seat  of  inherent  dis- 
eases and  liable  to  extraneous  infections.  It  may  be,  and 
often  is,  perverted,  or  blunted,  or  even  extinguished. 
The  light  of  truth  may  shine  upon  it  in  all  its  power 
and  purity,  but  through  the  influence  of  erroneous  edu- 
cation, of  evil  associations,  or  of  pride,  ambition,  lust, 
avarice,  or  habits,  it  may  form  false  judgments,  embrace 
unsound  principles,  and,  like  the  blind,  pursue  paths  that 
lead  to  inevitable  ruin.  The  mental  vision  of  man  may 
be,  nay,  often  has  been,  so  warped  and  dimmed  as  to  call 
evil  good,  and  good  evil,  and  to  lead  him  to  believe  that 
he  did  God  service,  while,  in  fact,  he  was  acting  in  open 
and  violent  rebellion  against  him. 

Between  bodily  vision  and  mental  vision,  therefore, 
there  is  a  clear  and  striking  parallel,  and  one  which  the 
Great  Master  employed  to  convey  moral  lessons  of  the 
greatest  importance.  "  The  light  of  the  body  is  the  eye ; 
if  therefore  thine  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be 
full  of  light.  But  if  thine  eye  be  evil,  thy  whole  body 
shall  be  full  of  darkness.  If  therefore  the  lis-ht  that  is  in 
thee  be  darkness,  how  great  is  that  darkness!"  From 
the  facts  in  the  case,  therefore,  and  from  the  use  thus 
made  by  the  Divine  Teacher  of  those  facts,  we  are  war- 
ranted in  employing  the  various  conditions  in  which  the 
bodily  eye  is  found  as  typical  representations  of  corre- 
sponding conditions  of  the  mental  or  moral  eye. 

First,  then,  we  direct  the  reader's  attention  to  the 
Sound  Eye.  By  a  sound  eye  we  mean,  of  course,  one 
whose  parts  all  are  perfect  in  form,  right  in  position,  and 
healthy  in  action,  and  such  as  presents  to  the  mind  a  dis- 
tinct and  correct  representation  of  both  the  forms  and 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  349 

colors  of  the  objects  to  which  it  is  directed.  When  the 
eye  is  thus  sound  and  healthy,  its  owner  can  see  clearly 
far  and  near ;  can  discern  the  true  outlines,  the  real  color, 
and  the  comparative  size  and  distance  of  whatever  may 
lie  before  him.  He  derives  from  the  light  of  the  Sun  all 
the  convenience  and  pleasure  it  was  designed  to  impart. 
"  His  whole  body  is  full  of  light " — that  is,  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  body  enjoy  the  advantages  of  light ;  his  hands 
and  his  feet  are  guided  and  governed  by  the  light.  The 
man  of  clear  vision  knows  what  he  is  doing  and  whither 
he  is  going ;  discerns  what  is  safe  and  what  is  dangerous 
in  the  way  before  him.  He  never  stretches  out  his  hand 
to  lay  hold  upon  what  he  deems  a  support,  and  finds  that 
he  grasps  but  the  empty  air ;  never  moves  forward,  think- 
ing himself  on  level  and  safe  ground,  and  discovers 
that  he  has  advanced  but  to  fall  into  a  pit,  or  to  plunge 
over  a  precipice.  Nothing  presents  itself  to  him  in  an 
unreal  shape,  or  in  a  false  color,  or  in  a  wrong  position. 
All  scenes,  all  objects,  all  persons  appear  just  as  they  are, 
and  just  as  they  lie  beneath  the  pure  light  of  the  Sun. 

Like  unto  this  is  the  mental  vision  of  him  "  who  has  been 
made  light  in  the  Lord  " — of  him  "  the  eyes  of  whose 
understanding  have  been  enlightened  to  know  what  is  the 
hope  of  the  calling  of  God,  and  what  the  riches  of  the 
glory  of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints,  and  what  is  the 
exceeding  greatness  of  his  power  to  usward  who  believe, 
according  to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power  which  he 
wrought  in  Christ."  Such  an  one  receives  and  enjoys 
the  full  benefits  of  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 
As  described  under  the  preceding  analogy,  he  rightly 
understands  the  law  of  God,  and  rightly  apprehends  his 
own  character  as  a  sinner,  and  the  character  and  offices 
of  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  The  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel  are  to  him,  not  dull  and  misty  notions^  but 


350  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

truths,  divine  truths,  full  of  meaning,  full  of  interest, 
and  deserving  of  full  and  implicit  faith.  Jesus  is  to  him, 
not  a  fictitious  character,  but  a  present  living  Saviour'; 
and  heaven  and  hell  are  no  phantoms,  but  solemn  and 
eternal  realities.  The  sight  of  his  mind,  the  eye  of  his 
faith,  apprehends  these  truths  as  clearly  as  the  sight  of 
his  body  discerns  the  material  objects  around  him ;  aye, 
and  it  moves  and  directs  and  controls  him,  too,  just  as 
powerfully.  Were  the  Christian  to  see  the  Son  of  God 
expiring  on  the  cross  for  his  sins,  what  more  could  the 
sight  effect  than  to  lead  him  to  abhor  himself,  to  hate  his 
sins,  and  to  yield  himself  a  living  sacrifice  to  his  crucified 
Lord  ?  Were  the  glories  of  eternity  unveiled  to  his  eye, 
and  the  bliss  of  heaven  presented  to  his  sight,  what  more 
could  the  view  effect  than  to  lead  the  soul  to  seek  its  por- 
tion above,  to  slight  the  trifles  of  time,  and  to  feel  and 
act  as  a  pilgrim  upon  earth  ?  Were  the  scenes  of  eternal 
judgment,  or  the  dark  prison  of  eternal  misery  presented 
to  his  sight,  what  could  it  effect  more  than  to  impel  him 
earnestly  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  to  prepare 
to  render  his  last  account  ?  Or,  were  a  dying  Saviour,  a 
blissful  heaven,  the  awful  judgment  throne,  and  a  miser- 
able hell  presented  together  to  the  Christian's  view,  what 
more  could  the  sight  effect  than  to  incite  him  so  earnestly 
to  flee  the  dreaded  evil,  so  devoutly  to  seize  the  proffered 
good,  that,  compared  with  this,  health  and  liberty  and 
friends  and  life  itself  should  seem  things  of  no  account  in 
his  esteem  ?  This,  all  this,  the  clear  vision  of  the  renewed 
and  enlightened  mind  does.  All  this,  faith,  the  eye  of  the 
soul,  has  done,  and  done,  not  only  in  a  solitary  individual 
here  and  there,  but  in  millions  of  instances,  and  is  now 
doing  in  millions  more.  It  is  thus  that  the  sound  mental 
eye  secures  to  man  all  the  blessings  of  the  light  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness.      He  sees  things  below  and  things 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  351 

above,  things  temporal  and  things  eternal,  in  their  true 
light,  and  discerns  their  true  value  and  importance.  To 
him,  therefore, 

"All,  all  on  earth  is  shadow,  while  all  beyond  is  substance : 
And  how  solid  all  where  change  shall  be  no  more  !  " 

The  eye,  as  just  stated,  is  found  in  many  persons  in 
an  imperfect  condition,  one  or  more  of  its  parts  being 
defective  in  form,  or  in  texture,  or  in  position.  The  first 
of  these  that  we  shall  notice  is 

The  Near-Sighted  Eye.  In  the  perfect  eye,  the  rays 
of  light  which  enter  it  from  a  particular  object  converge 
and  meet  exactly  on  the  retina,  or  nervous  lining  which 
covers  the  interior-  of  the  back  part  of  the  ball,  and  there 
form  a  perfect  and  distinct  picture  of  that  object.  But  in 
the  short-sighted  eye,  these  rays  meet,  or  come  to  a 
focus,  before  they  reach  the  retina,  and  in  consequence 
produce  a  blurred  or  obscure  picture  thereon.  This  may 
happen  from  any  one  of  three  causes — from  too  great  a 
curvature  in  the  cornea,  or  the  transparent  part  of  the 
iront  of  the  eye ;  from  the  crystalline  lens  being  too  con- 
vex ;  or,  from  the  ball  of  the  eye  being  of  too  great  a 
depth.  Some  are  born  with  one  or  other  of  these  defects ; 
in  others  they  result  from  the  effects  of  disease,  and  in 
others  still  they  are  brought  on  by  excessive  use  of  the 
eye,  such  as  study.  Observations  made  in  different 
countries  of  Europe  have  proved  that  the  cases  of  near- 
sightedness increase  rapidly  in  number  among  scholars, 
as  they  advance  from  the  primary  schools  to  those  of 
higher  grades,  and  then  through  the  successive  years  of 
study  which  compose  the  courses  of  the  universities.  By 
whatever  cause  produced,  this  defect  of  the  sight,  which 
the  scientific  call  myopia,  is  a  great  misfortune. 

Near-sighted  persons  can  see  objects  distinctly  only  at 

22 


352  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

short  distances ;  removed  a  little  further,  and  the  outlines 
become  blurred  and  their  colors  confused.  No  matter  how 
brightly  the  Sun  may  shine,  all  appear  as  if  wrapped  in 
haze  or  mist.  In  consequence,  scenes  and  objects  that  are 
more  or  less  remote — the  expression  of  the  eyes  and  coun- 
tenance of  the  orator  on  the  stage,  the  finished  sculpture 
on  the  elevated  pedestal,  the  life-like  scenes  on  the 
painted  ceiling,  the  grace  and  hues  of  the  spreading  oak 
or  towering  pine,  the  varying  tints  and  features  of  the 
outstretched  landscape — have  but  little  charm,  or  beauty, 
or  attraction  for  those  who  labor  under  this  defect  of 
vision,  for  they  cannot  discern  them.  They  are,  there- 
fore, chiefly  occupied  with  what  is  near  at  hand,  and 
most  deeply  interested  in  what  is  immediately  before 
them. 

Now  many  persons  there  are  whose  mental  vision  may 
be  aptly  compared  to  this  near-sighted  eye.  They  do  not 
see,  they  do  not  look  to  objects  or  events  that  are  at  a 
distance  in  advance.  Not  that  they  have  by  birth  inher- 
ited this  mental  myopia,  but  have  contracted  it.  It  has 
been  brought  on  by  the  force  of  worldly  passions  and 
pursuits.  The  eyes  of  their  mind  have  been  so  long  and 
so  habitually  directed  to  present  things,  to  things  that 
immediately  interest  or  affect  them,  that  they  have  left 
neither  the  power  nor  the  inclination  to  look  away 
to  those  that  are  ahead.  The  events  of  the  future — 
death  and  the  grave,  judgment  and  eternity,  heaven  and 
hell — are  all  enveloped  to  them  in  the  thick  haze  of  dis- 
tant time.  No  matter  how  clearly  the  light  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  reveals  them,  they  fail  to  make  any  dis- 
tinct or  influential  impressions  on  their  mental  retina. 
They  can  discern  nothing  that  should  alarm  them,  nothing 
of  importance  or  of  interest  in  them,  that  they  should 
immediately  and  earnestly  devote  themselves  to  a  prepa- 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT.  353 

ration  to  meet  them.  They,  therefore,  in  spite  of  all  light 
and  counsel  and  entreaty,  continue  engrossed  with 
present  things,  and  neglect  the  great  salvation. 

The  second  defect  in  the  organ  of  sight,  to  which  we 
direct  the  reader's  attention,  is  that  of  the  Cobwebbed 
Eye,  or  what  oculists  term  Musccb  Volitantes,  two  Latin 
words  which  signify  Fluttering  Flies,  which  the  defects 
somewhat  resemble.  This,  also,  is  a  disease  or  imperfec- 
tion brought  on  by  various  causes,  and  consists  partly  in 
turgidity  of  some  of  the  minute  blood-vessels,  and  partly 
in  some  affection  of  the  humors  of  the  eye.  These 
create  the  appearance  of  black  specks  and  tangled  cob- 
webs floating  in  the  air  before  the  sight,  and  which  are 
particularly  conspicuous  when  the  eye  is  directed  to  any 
white  surface,  or  to  the  clear  sky.  They  are  not  fixed 
either  in  their  number,  or  form,  or  position,  but  swim 
about  in  varying  shapes  and  relations.  Sometimes  many 
of  them  will  fall  together,  and  form  in  the  field  of  vision 
a  dark  cloud  of  more  or  less  extent,  which  greatly  ob- 
scures the  sight  of  all  objects  behind  it.  These  black 
spots  and  dark  cobwebs  are  ever  present  with  the  per- 
son whose  organs  are  afflicted  with  them.  The  brightest 
sunbeams  will  neither  banish  nor  dissipate  them.  When 
he  reads,  or  when  he  writes,  they  advance  and  retire 
along  the  lines  with  the  motion  of  the  eye.  Go  where 
he  may,  do  what  he  will,  they  are  ever  before  him, 
blurring  what  is  bright  and  hiding  what  is  delicate  or 
minute. 

Defects  very  similar  to  these  are  found  established  in 
the  mental  vision  of  not  a  few,  and  which  are  the  more 
to  be  deplored  as  they  are  of  their  own  procuring.  In 
the  cases  to  which  we  refer,  the  "  muscle  volitantes  "  are 
the  pleasures,  the  riches  and  the  honors  of  the  world. 
These,  like  swarms  of  glittering  flies,  or  webs  of  silvery 


354  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

fibres,  are  forever  fluttering  before  their  eyes,  blurring 
even  the  sacred  page  when  they  would  read  it,  and  cast- 
ing their  darkening  shades  over  their  spiritual  prospects 
w^hen  they  would  contemplate  them.  Shine  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  never  so  brightly  around  them,  and  reveal 
he  never  so  clearly  interests  infinitely  more  important, 
these  are  ever  and  anon  before  their  minds.  Trivial  in 
value  and  transient  in  duration  as  they  are,  yet  they 
are  sufficient  to  obscure,  if  not  altogether  hide,  concerns 
of  far  greater  moment.  Each  star  in  the  canopy  above, 
astronomers  tell  us,  is  a  magnificent  globe,  a  globe  of 
light,  a  sun  shining  upon  other  worlds  as  our  sun  shines 
upon  this  world ;  yet  the  finest  silken  thread  stretched 
across,  or  a  speck  of  dust  resting  upon  the  object  glass 
of  a  telescope  directed  to  one  of  these,  is  sufficient  to 
completely  cover  and  hide  it  from  view.  Just  so,  a  speck 
of  earthly  gain,  or  a  cobweb  of  earfhly  honor,  before  the 
mind's  e^^e,  is  sufficient  to  hide  from  many  a  man  all  the 
glories  of  the  heavenly  w^orld. 

The  third  ocular  defect,  we  wish  to  notice,  is  that  of 
the  Color-blind  Eye.  It  has  been  discovered,  within 
comparatively  few  years,  that  there  are  many  persons 
who  have  not  the  power  of  distinguishing  colors  ;  in  other 
words,  in  whom  the  nerve  of  vision  is  affected  in  one  and 
the  same  wayby  rays  of  light  of  various  colors,  or  even 
of  all  colors.  For  example,  such  persons  perceive  no 
difference  between  red  and  green  ;  these  two  colors  excite 
precisely  the  same  sensation  in  the  retina.  Hence  they 
cannot  distinguish,  by  their  colors,  the  red  cherries  from 
the  green  leaves  on  the  tree.  And  all  colors  into  which 
a  considerable  proportion  of  red  enters  are  to  them  sombre 
tints. 

Dr.  Dalton,  an  Englishman,  the  first  person  who  drew 
attention  to  this  subject,  w^as  himself  afflicted   with  this 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  355 

infirmity.  He  could  perceive  only  two  distinctions  of 
color  in  the  whole  solar  spectrum ;  so  that  the  gorgeous 
rainbow  appe;ired  to  him  only  as  a  tame  arch  of  yellow 
and  blue.  Specimens  of  claret-colored  cloth  he  pro- 
nounced of  the  same  hue  and  shade  as  mud.  A  florid 
complexion  he  compared  to  a  dull  blackish  blue  on  white 
ground.  And  when  he  mounted  his  scarlet  gown  at  Ox- 
ford, he  declared  it  to  be  to  him  exactly  of  the  same 
color  as  the  grass  of  the  field.  Another  gentleman,  on 
being  requested  to  pick  out  all  the  greens  from  a  number 
of  pieces  of  stained  glass,  at  once  selected  the  red,  brown, 
claret,  yellow  and  pink ;  and  when  asked  to  say  which 
was  the  most  intense  green  of  the  group,  he  unhesi- 
tatingly fixed  upon  the  claret.  Wider  mistakes  still 
have  sometimes  unwittingly  been  committed  by  persons 
subject  to  this  imperfection  of  sight : — An  upholsterer 
once  sent  his  clerk  to  purchase  some  black  cloth  to  cover 
a  coffin,  who  returned  with  a  quantity  of  scarlet  cloth, 
under  the  impression  that  it  was  as  sorrowful  a  sable  as 
the  occasion  required. 

Having  examined  no  fewer  tlian  1154  persons  in  the 
city  of  Edinburgh,  Professor  Wilson  found  that  one  per- 
son in  every  eighteen  was  to  a  certain  extent  color-blind, 
one  in  fifty-five  confounding  red  with  green,  one  in  sixty 
confounding  brown  with  green,  and  one  in  forty-six  con- 
founding blue  with  green.  And  a  few  cases  occurred  in 
which  no  color  was  perceived  but  hlaclc  and  white,  or 
light  and  shade. 

To  all  these  the  face  of  nature,  in  all  her  departments, 
must  appear  far  inferior  in  splendor  and  variety  to  that 
which  we  behold ;  and  as  for  those  who  are  totally  desti- 
tute of  the  sensation  of  difierence  in  color,  the  world 
must  present  to  their  eyes  what  we  should  be  disposed 
to  call  a  gloomy,  if  not  a  hideous,  monotony — light  and 


356  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

shade  only  revealing  the  forms  of  objects  as  in  a  mezzo- 
tint engraving.  But  here,  as  in  a  thousand  other  arrange- 
ments of  providence,  there  comes  in  a  relief — what  they 
have  never  known  they  never  miss. 

This  peculiar  defect  of  the  corporeal  eye,  also,  has  its 
clear  counterpart  in  the  mental  eye  of  not  a  few.  Without 
investigation  and  without  experiment,  we  discover  varied 
and  plentiful  evidence  that  their  sensibility  to  moral 
hues  and  colors  is  sadly  defective — that  they  see  not 
the  deformity  of  sin,  nor  the  beauty  of  holiness — that 
they  discern  not  the  loveliness  of  the  "  Rose  of  Sharon," 
nor  the  grace  of  the  "  Lily  of  the  Valley," — that  they 
appreciate  not  the  glowing  pearl  set  before  them  in  the 
Gospel — that  they  perceive  not  the  crimson  blood  that 
freely  flows  on  Calvary — that  they  are  insensible  to  the 
charms  and  beauties  of  the  "  Bow  of  Peace,"  with  which 
infinite  love  has  spanned  and  cheered  their  firmament. 
Eyes  they  have,  but  they  see  not  the  excellency  of  the 
grace,  nor  the  glory  of  the  prospect,  which  the  light  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  clearly  reveals  to  the  vision  of 
others. 

The  fourth  defect  we  name  is  the  Jaundiced  Eye.  In 
the  preceding  case,  the  eye  is  destitute  of  power  to  discern 
the  colors  which  belong  to  objects ;  in  this,  it  imparts  to 
them  a  color  which  they  do  not  possess.  In  certain  mor- 
bid conditions  of  the  liver,  the  bile  enters  into  the  circu- 
lation of  the  blood,  and  is  thus  diffused  through  the  whole 
system,  and  gives  to  its  surface  a  saffron  complexion. 
This  coloring  matter  of  the  bile  finds  its  way  even  into 
the  humors  of  the  eye,  and  colors  them ;  and  objects  seen 
through  these  now  yellow  fluids  appear  as  if  viewed 
through  a  piece  of  yellow  stained  glass.  In  this  condi- 
tion the  stained  eye  lends  its  own  tinge  to  whatever 
scene  or  object  it  beholds.     Bright  and  pure  the   sun- 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  357 

light  may  be,  but  to  such  an  one  the  green  fields  and  blue 
sky,  the  leaves  of  books  and  the  countenances  of  friends, 
are  all  yellow.  And  this  results  from  a  disease  of  the 
body. 

Diseases  of  the  soul  produce  similar  effects  upon  the 
mental  eye.  Ambition  is  one  of  these  diseases.  Where 
this  becomes  the  ruling  passion,  as  in  an  Alexander,  a 
Caesar,  or  a  Napoleon,  the  man  views  everything,  esti- 
mates everything,  through  the  red  eye  of  war  and  con- 
quest;— peaceful  and  industrious  populations  are  to  him 
but  means  for  raising  armies,  fruitful  districts  but  fields 
for  foraging,  forests  but  materials  for  building  forts  or 
fleets,  noble  plains  but  arenas  for  battle,  and  valleys  and 
defiles  but  localities  for  attack  and  stratagem.  His  raging 
mental  disorder  thus  imparts  its  own  dreadful  hue  to  all 
that  comes  before  his  view.  Envi/  is  such  another  disease. 
It  has  passed  into  a  proverb  that  the  man  under  the  do- 
minion of  this  hateful  passion  is  ever  looking  through  the 
"green  eye"  of  pining  desire  and  ill  will  upon  the  pos- 
sessions, or  advantages,  or  successes  of  others,  deeming 
himself  more  deserving  of  such  favors  than  those  who 
enjoy  them.  Avarice  is  yet  another  such  disease,  which 
imparts  its  peculiar  hue  to  the  mind.  The  avaricious 
man's  craving  love  of  riches  associates  every  scene  and 
object  and  event  that  he  witnesses  with  "gain,"  or  "ac- 
cumulation." Lead  him  to  the  banks  of  the  majestic 
Mississippi,  and  his  first  thought  will  be,  "What  a  capital 
channel  for  traffic!"  Place  him  in  full  view  of  the  sub- 
lime Falls  of  Niagara,  and  the  first  exclamation  you  hear 
is,  "  What  an  excellent  water-power  !"  Or,  if  half  a  city 
is  reduced  to  ashes,  you  will  hear  him  soliloquize,  "This 
will  advance  the  price  of  my  goods."  Or,  if  a  neighbor 
dies,  in  the  secret  chamber  of  his  soul  he  is  whispering, 
"  Some  of  his  customers  will  now  come  to  me."    His  mind 


358  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

is  thus  suffused  with  the  love  of  riches,  and  his  eyes  are 
tinged  with  the  hue  of  gain,  and  in  this  light  only  can 
he  view  anything.  So  of  Gluttony,  and  so  of  Lust.  Thus 
each  disease  of  the  soul,  like  jaundice  in  the  body,  im- 
parts its  peculiar  coloring  to  the  mental  vision,  and  the 
man  laboring  under  it,  sees  nothing,  estimates  nothing, 
as  the  true  and  clear  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
exhibits  it  to  sound  and  pure  minds. 

A  fifth  ocular  defect  we  have  in  the  Cataract  Eye. 
This  disease  lies  in  that  part  of  the  eye  called  the  crystal- 
line lens,  which,  in  its  natural  and  healthy  condition,  is 
perfectly  clear  and  transparent.  But  it  frequently  hap- 
pens, especially  in  elderly  persons,  that  this  transparent 
substance  undergoes  a  change,  and  gradually  assumes  a 
milky  or  whitish  appearance.  This  change  goes  on  for 
a  shorter  or  longer  period,  the  lens  growing  more  and 
more  opaque,  until  at  last  it  becomes  entirely  impervious 
to  the  liglit.  When  this  takes  place  in  both  eyes,  the 
result  is  total  blindness — a  calamity  of  which  no  better 
description  can  be  offered  than  that  given  by  one  who 
experienced  it : 

"O  loss  of  sight!  .  .  .  With  the  year 
Seasons  return,  but  not  to  me  returns 
Day,  or  the  sweet  approach  of  ev'n  or  mom, 
Or  sight  of  vernal  bloom,  or  summer's  rose, 
Or  flocks,  or  herds,  or  human  face  divine; 
But  clouds  instead,  and  ever-during  dark 
Surrounds  me,  from  the  cheerful  ways  of  men 
Cut  off,  and  for  the  book  of  knowledge  fair 
Presented  with  an  universal  blank    ' 
Of  nature's  works,  to  me  expnng'd  and  ras'd, 
And  wisdom  at  one  entrance  quite  shut  out." — Blilton. 

Sad  as  is  such  a  state,  it  is  emblematic  of  one  still 
more  so.  There  is  a  cataract  condition  of  the  mental  eye 
as  well  as  of  that  of  the  body.  As  the  process  of  opacity 
advances  in  the  crystalline  lens,  a  dark  and  darkening 
veil  is  drawn  over  the   world ;   the  fair  face  of  nature 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  359 

fades  from  view ;  every  object  becomes  more  and  more 
indistinct,  and  ere  long  altogether  obscured.  All  that 
can  cheer  the  sight,  or  guide  the  hand,  or  direct  the  step, 
now  vanishes.  So  it  often  befalls  the  mental  vision.  The 
gradual  yielding  of  the  heart  to  the  things  of  time  and 
sense,  the  gradual  neglect  of  conscience  and  duty,  the 
gradual  growth  of  unbelief  and  error,  all  deepening  and 
intensifying  with  each  successive  year,  banish  the  light 
of  truth,  the  sense  of  the  divine  presence,  and  concern  for 
approaching  eternity  more  and  more  from  the  mind,  till 
at  length  all  that  was  ennobling  in  contemplation,  cheer- 
ing to  the  heart,  supporting  to  the  hopes,  or  directive  to 
the  conduct,  pass  away,  vanish;  and  the  soul,  like  one  in 
cataract  blindness,  is  left  in  utter  moral  darkness.  The 
firmament  of  the  immortal  spirit  is  now  hung  with  black- 
ness, without  hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world.  The 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  indeed,  shines  on  as  brightly  as 
ever,  but,  alas,  shines  in  vain  for  a  soul  in  such  a  state! 

In  one  way,  and  in  one  way  only,  can  relief  be  brought 
to  him  who  is  afflicted  with  a  cataract,  and  that  is,  by 
removing  from  the  eyeball  the  entire  substance  of  the 
defective  lens.  Delicate  and  hazardous  as  this  operation 
may  appear,  modern  surgery  can  accomplish  it,  and  re- 
store the  sight  which  has  long  been  utterly  quenched. 
And  it  is  our  happiness  to  know  that  there  is  a  Physician 
who  can  remove  the  spiritual  cataract,  and  bring  to  light 
those  who  have  long  sat  in  darkness  and  in  the  region 
and  shadow  of  death.  The  blind  need  but  cry,  Jesiis, 
thou  So}i  of  David,  have  mere?/  on  me;  and  He  need  but 
speak  the  word,  Ephphatha,  and  the  miracle  of  healing 
is  accomplished. 


360 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


ANALOGY   XVII. 

As  the  Sun  of  naticre,  in  passing  through  the  obscuration  of  an  eclipse,  dis- 
closes physical  wonders,  which  else  would  have  remained  invisible — so 
the  Sun  of  liighteousness,  in  passing  through  the  darkness  of  the  tomb, 
reveals  Divine  Glories,  which  otherwise  would  have  remained  unknown. 

Phenomena. 

A  SOLAR  eclipse,  as  every  reader  knows,  is  produced  by 
the  interposition  of  the  moon,  her  dark  globe  coming  be- 
tween us  and  the  Sun,  and  thus  hiding  from  us  a  part 
or  the  whole  of  his  luminous  disc.  Such  eclipses  of  the 
great  orb  of  day  are  of  frequent  occurrence ;  the  greatest 
number  of  them  that  can  take  place  in  one  year  is  fivej 
and  the  least  two;  but  all  eclipses  of  the  Sun  are  not 
visible  from  any  one  place  on  the  face  of  the  globe :  they 
are  seen  only  within  a  narrow  strip  of  its  surface,  which 
cannot  exceed  180  miles,  and  usually  is  only  about  150 
miles  in  breadth. 

Astronomers  divide  eclipses  into  three  classes,  which 
^^y^:^.=>r^^-^--i:K^^^nm^m  are  distinguished  by  very 

marked  differences.  The 
first  is  the  Partial  eclipse  ; 
in  this,  as  the  term  im- 
plies, a  portion  only  of 
the  Sun's  disc  is  covered, 
and  that  on  one  side  or 
the  other. 

Second,  the  Annular 
eclipse.  It  is  when  the 
Moon  intervenes  between 
the  Sun  and  the  earth 
at  such  a  distance  from  the  latter  as  to  make  her  appar- 
ent diameter  less  than  that  of  the  Sun,  that  this  singular 
phenomenon  is  exhibited.     The  whole  surface  of  the  Sun 


ANNULAR  ECLl 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  361 

is  covered,  except  a  narrow  ring  around  the  outside,  encir- 
cling the  dark  centre.  When  the  advancing  Moon  has 
reduced  the  ring  on  one  side  to  a  very  narrow  strip, 
a  peculiar  appearance  is  presented  in  that  part,  which 
looks  like  a  string  of  glittering  beads,  as  indicated  on  the 
left  side  of  the  annexed  figure ;  this  is  supposed  to  be  the 
effect  of  irradiation. 

Third,  the  Total  eclipse.  This  occurs  when  the  Moon 
is  nearer  to  the  earth  than  in  the  preceding  case,  and 
when  her  distance  from  us  is  such  that  her  apparent 
diameter  is  sufficient  to  cover  the  entire  disc  of  the  Sun. 
This  is  an  event  of  great  interest  to  the  astronomer,  both 
on  account  of  its  short  duration  and  rare  occurrence. 
The  longest  time  an  eclipse  of  the  Sun  can  be  total  is 
seven  minutes ;  but  often  it  does  not  exceed  three  or  four 
minutes.  And  it  takes  place  at  any  one  locality  only  at 
distant  intervals ;  for  instance,  at  London,  prior  to  the 
total  eclipse  of  1715,  no  such  phenomenon  had  been  visi- 
ble for  a  period  of  575  years. 

Among  all  the  evolutions  of  the  creation,  visible  to  us, 
no  occurrence  is  more  striking  or  impressive  than  this. 
"  A  total  eclipse  of  the  Sun,"  says  Lockyer,  "  is  at  once 
one  of  the  grandest  and  most  awe-inspiring  sights  it  is 
possible  for  man  to  witness.  As  the  eclipse  advances, 
but  before  the  disc  is  wholly  obscured,  the  sky  grows  of  a 
dusky  livid,  or  purple,  or  yellow  crimson  color,  which 
gradually  gets  darker  and  darker,  and  the  color  appears 
to  run  over  large  portions  of  the  sky,  irrespective  of  the 
clouds.  The  sea  turns  lurid  red.  This  sincrular  colorinf]^ 
and  darkening  of  the  landscape  is  quite  unlike  the 
approach  of  night,  and  gives  rise  to  strange  feelings  of 
sadness.  The  Moon's  shadow  sweeps  across  the  surface 
of  the  Earth,  and  is  even  seen  in  the  air;  the  rapidity  of 
its   motion   and  its  intenseness  produce   a  feeling   that 


362  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

something  material  is  rushing  over  the  Earth  at  a  speed 
perfectly  frightful.  All  sense  of  distance  is  lost;  the 
faces  of  men  assume  a  livid  hue,  flowers  close,  fowls 
hasten  to  roost,  cocks  crow,  birds  flutter  to  the  ground  in 
fright,  dogs  whine,  sheep  collect  together  as  if  apprehend- 
ing danger,  horses  and  oxen  lie  down,  obstinately  resisting 
the  whip  and  the  goad ;  in  a  word,  the  whole  animal 
world  seems  frightened  out  of  its  usual  propriety." 

Celestial  phenomena,  also,  attend  a  total  eclipse,  still 
more  grand  and  imposing.  A  few  seconds  before  the 
commencement  of  the  total  obscuration,  the  stars  burst 
out,  and  surrounding  the  dark  Moon  on  all  sides  is  seen  a 
glorious  halo,  commonly  of  a  silvery  white  light,  which  is 
called  the  Corona.  This  radiates  and  extends  beyond 
the  Moon  to  a  distance  equal  to  her  apparent  diameter, 
and  in  some  eclipses  is  observed  to  reach  to  a  much 
greater  distance.  This  luminous  appendage  is  supposed 
to  be  the  Sun's  atmosphere,  which  is  not  seen  when  the 
Sun  itself  is  visible,  owing  to  its  overpowering  splendor. 
General  Myer  gives  the  following  description  of  the 
Corona,  as  observed  by  him  from  the  summit  of  White  Top 
Mountain,  Virginia,  5,530  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
this  elevated  station  being  chosen  in  order  to  escape  the 
smoke  and  haze  which  generally  prevail  in  lower  regions  : 
"  The  eclipse  presented,  during  the  total  obscuration,  a 
vision  magnificent  beyond  description.  As  a  centre 
stood  the  full  and  intensely  black  disc  of  the  Moon,  sur- 
rounded by  the  aureola  of  a  soft  bright  light,  through 
which  shot  out,  as  if  from  the  circumference  of  the  Moon, 
straight,  massive,  silvery  rays,  seeming  distinct  and  sep- 
arate from  each  other,  to  a  distance  of  two  or  three  diam- 
eters of  the  lunar  disc,  the  whole  spectacle  showing  as 
upon  a  background  of  diffused  rose-colored  light.  This 
light  was  most  intense,  and  extended  farthest,  at  about 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT. 


363 


the  centre  of  the  lower  limb,  the  position  of  the  southern 
prominence.  The  silvery  rays  were  longest  and  most 
prominent  at  four  points  of  the  circumference,  two  upon 
the  upper  and  two  upon  the  lower  portion,  apparently 
equidistant  from  each  other,  giving  the  spectacle  a  quad- 
rilateral shape."  Mr.  Farrel,  speaking  of  the  same 
eclipse,  as  observed  from  another  station,  describes  the 
Corona    as    "composed  of   an   infinitude  of  fine  violet, 


SOLAR  PHENOMENA  OBSKRVICD  IN  ISC'J. 


mauve-colored,  white,  and  yellowish  white  rays,  issuing 
from  behind  the  Moon."  Such  is  the  magnificent  and 
ample  robe  in  which  the  Creator  has  invested  the  great 
central  orb  of  our  system. 

A  totiil  eclipse  brings  to  view  another  class  of  phenom- 
ena equally  marvellous  and  grand.     When  the  totality  of 


364  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

an  eclipse  has  commenced,  close  to  the  edge  of  the  Moon, 
and  therefore  within  the  Corona,  are  observed  various 
prominences  of  differing  forms,  some  of  them  of  fantastic 
shapes,  of  light  red  color  fading  into  rose  pink,  which  have 
been  variously  caWed  Red  Flames,  Red  Prominences,  Red 
Sierra.  These  are  indicated  in  the  preceding  figure  at  a,  b, 
c,  d,  e, /,  g,  as  they  appeared  during  the  eclipse  of  1869. 
In  form  and  position  they  perpetually  vary,  like  the  clouds 
in  our  own  atmosphere;  but  in  color  they  are  always 
of  a  lighter  or  darker  red.  These  phenomena  have  been 
repeatedly  observed  and  carefully  studied  during  the  last 
half  century. 

In  the  year  1842,  there  occurred  a  total  eclipse,  which 
afforded  an  exhibition  of  these  prominences  that  engaged 
the  observation  and  scrutiny  of  many  distinguished 
astronomers.  Schumacher  likened  some  of  them  to  float- 
ing icebergs.  Daily  compared  them  to  Alpine  Peaks. 
And  M.  Mauvais  employed  the  same  comparison  as  the  lat- 
ter. He  had  seen  a  reddish  point  soon  after  the  Sun  was 
totally  obscured.  "When  fifty-six  seconds  had  passed 
after  the  commencement  of  totality,"  he  writes,  "this  red- 
dish point  transformed  itself  into  two  protuberances, 
resembling  two  adjacent  mountains,  and  well  defined. 
Their  color  was  not  uniform,  streaks  of  a  deeper  red 
marking  their  flanks.  I  cannot  describe  them  better  than 
by  comparing  them  to  distant  Alpine  Peaks,  illuminated 
by  the  rays  of  the  setting  Sun.  One  minute  and  ten  sec^ 
onds  from  the  time  of  total  obscuration,  a  third  mountain 
became  visible  to  the  left  of  the  other  two.  In  color  it 
resembled  the  others.  Beside  it  were  some  smaller  peaks, 
all  of  them  well  defined.  Near  the  end  of  the  eclipse, 
they  were  no  less  than  two  minutes  of  an  arc,  or  more 
than  50,000  miles,  in  height." 

The  eclipse  of  1851   furnished  a  similar   revelation. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  365 

Of  this,  Mr.  Airy,  astronomer  royal  of  England,  wrote : 
"  The  form  of  the  prominences  was  most  remarkable. 
One  reminded  me  of  a  boomerang.  Its  color  for  at  least 
two-thirds  of  its  breadth — from  the  convexity  towards  the 
concavity — was  full  lake  red ;  the  remainder  was  nearly 
white.  The  most  brilliant  part  of  it  was  the  swell  far- 
thest from  the  Moon's  limb ;  this  was  distinctly  seen  by 
myself  and  my  friends  with  the  naked  eye.  I  judged  it 
to  be,  by  its  proportion  to  the  Moon's  diameter,  three 
minutes  (about  80,000  miles)  in  height.  A  second 
prominence  was  a  pale  white  semicircle  based  on  the 
Moon's  limb.  A  third  appeared  as  a  red  detached  cloud 
or  balloon  of  nearly  circular  form.  A  fourth  was  a  small 
conical  red  mountain,  perhaps  a  little  white  in  the 
interior.  These  were  the  appearances  seen  instantly 
after  the  formation  of  the  totality.  Having  withdrawn 
my  eye  for  a  moment  from  the  scene,  on  returning  to  ray 
telescope,  I  saw  another  object  of  unexpected  beauty — an 
extended  Sierra  had  arisen,  resembling  a  rugged  chain 
of  mountains.  This  was  more  brilliant  than  the  other 
prominences,  and  its  color  was  nearly  scarlet.  The  other 
prominences  had  perhaps  increased  in  height,  but  no 
additional  new  ones  had  arisen.  The  appearance  of 
the  Sierra,  nearly  in  the  place  where  I  had  expected  the 
appearance  of  the  Sun,  warned  me  not  now  to  attempt 
any  other  physical  observations.  In  a  short  time  the 
white  Sun  burst  forth,  and  the  Corona  and  every  promi- 
nence vanished.'' 

The  next  total  eclipse  occurred  in  1860,  and  was 
visible  in  Spain.  This  drew  to  the  field  a  host  of  skilful 
observers,  who  devoted  their  best  powers  to  the  study  of 
its  phenomena.  Among  them  was  M.  Goldschmidt,  who 
gave  the  following  account  of  his  own  observations. 
"  About  thirty  seconds  before  totality,  I  could  distinguish 


366  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL- 

little  gray  clouds,  isolated  in  part,  and  floating  outside 
the  solar  disc  at  some  distance  from  the  edges.  One  of 
these  isolated  clouds  of  a  round  form,  and  another  of 
an  elongated  form  which  touched  the  exterior  edge  of 
the  Sun,  were  observed  to  be  of  gray  color  on  the  ground 
of  the  sky,  which  was  a  little  brighter.  An  instant 
afterwards  the  pyramidal  cloud  became  more  clear, 
and  then  rose-colored.  I  had  thus  been  present  at  the 
formation  of  a  protuberance.  Several  smaller  prom- 
inences were  seen  in  the  neighborhood  of  this  one,  resem- 
bling globules  of  mother-of-pearl,  but  of  an  irregular  form. 
These  likewise  became  of  a  rose-color  immediately  after- 
Avards,  but  quickly  disappeared.  The  most  imposing  as 
well  as  complicated  of  the  prominences — which  I  will 
call  the  Chandelier — was  grand  beyond  description.  It 
depended  from  the  lower  limb,  appearing  like  slender 
tongues  of  fire,  and  of  a  rose  color;  its  edges  were  purple 
and  transparent,  allowing  the  interior  of  the  prominence 
to  be  seen  ;  in  fict,  I  could  see  distinctly  that  this  prom- 
inence was  hollow.  Shortly  before  the  end  of  the  totality, 
I  saw  escape  from  the  extremities  of  these  rose-colored 
and  transparent  sheaves  of  light,  a  slight  display  in  the 
shape  of  a  fan,  which  gave  to  the  protuberance  a  real 
resemblance  to  a  cliandeUer.  Its  base,  which  at  the 
commencement  of  the  totality  was  noticed  very  decidedly 
on  the  black  limb  of  the  Moon,  became  slightly  less 
attached,  and  the  whole  took  an  appearance  more  ethereal 
and  vaporish ;  however,  I  did  not  lose  sight  of  it  for  an 
instant.  The  jets  of  light  -which  came  from  the  extrem- 
ities disappeared  with  the  appearance  of  the  first  rays  of 
the  Sun  ;  but  it  was  not  so  with  the  protuberance  itself; 
this  continued  visible  for  some  time  longer.  The  height 
of  the  prominence  was  estimated  to  be  95,000  miles.  I 
observed    several    other    prominences    to    the    right   of 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  367 

this,  one  of  which  was  of  about  the  same  height;  and 
one  had  the  appearance  of  a  rose-colored  cloud,  floating* 
on  the  Corona,  like  a  red  cloud  at  sunset." 

August  18th,  1868,  brought  round  another  total  eclipse 
of  the  Sun,  visible  in  Arabia  and  India.  The  most 
remarkable  of  the  solar  prominences  observed  at  this 
time  was  an  enormous  spiral  cone,  or  horn,  as  some 
termed  it.     This  sprang  from  the  north  side,  and  rose  to 


SOLAK  KCHPSE  OF  1868. 

the  height  of  three  minutes  and  eighteen  seconds,  or 
88,900  miles.  The  weather  on  this  occasion  being 
unfavorable  at  several  stations,  many  expectations  were 
disappointed. 

Within  one  year  from  the  foregoing,  namely,  on  the  7th 
of  August,  18G9,  there  occurred  another  eclipse,  visible 
in  North  America,  during  which  many  interesting  obser- 
vations were  made.     The  following  account  was  given 

23 


8G8 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


by  Mr.  G.  H.  Knight,  of  that  portion  of  the  Suii'a  circum- 
ference to  the  observation  of  wiiich  he  devoted  himself. 
On  this  occasion,  he  studied  the  prominences  with  a 
telescope  magnifying  120  times.  "  We  have  only  two 
precious  minutes!"  he  says,  "and  leaving  our  new 
acquaintances — Mercury,  the  sombre  woods,  the  leaden 
sky,  the  inky  river — to  other  observers,  we  direct  our  120 
magnifier  to  the  red  specks,  some  six  or  seven  in  number, 
now    plainly    discernible    around    the    Moon's    margin. 


SOLAE  PHENOMENA  OBSERVED  IN  1869. 

These  appearances,  when  brought  within  the  field  of  the 
telescope,  show  a  surprising  individuality,  and  all,  by 
shape,  suggest  violent  disturbance,  whose  motions  are, 
however,  invisible  by  reason  of  the  immense  distance. 
The  tube  is  directed  to  a  point,  near  the  Moon's  nadir, 
occupied  by  the  brightest  of  these  lights,  as  indicated  in 
the  annexed  figure  at  G.  The  apparition  seems  to  radi- 
ate from  some  point  hidden  behind  the  Moon's  disc, 
beyond  which  it  emerges  in  brilliant  silver,  copper,  and 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  371 

ruby-colored  coruscations,  the  copper  tints  predominating, 
and  terminates  in  a  circular  arc,  like  a  half-set  Sun. 
The  impression  conveyed  to  an  observer  is  of  a  vast 
explosion  from  a  centre  some  twenty  thousand  miles 
below  the  edge  of  the  Sun's  disc,  and  extending  there- 
from about  fifty  thousand  miles  in  every  direction. 
About  50°  of  the  Moon's  circumference  from  this  prom- 
inence, we  observed  a  second  and  a  wholly  different  one, 
viz.,  that  indicated  at  F,  which  bears  a  grotesque  resem- 
blance to  a  stag's  antlers  or  to  the  strands  of  a  ravelled 
rope  tossed  about  by  a  whirlwind.  The  shape  and 
coruscations  of  this  apparition  suggest  electrical  action 
(fancy  an  electric  spark  500  miles  thick!),  or  the  deflagra- 
tion of  some  liquid  metal.  Its  color  is  crimson  ;  its  height 
about  20,000  miles.  Still  another  and  totally  different 
emanation  is  seen  at  H,  This  wears  the  resemblance  of 
a  horse's  tail,  or,  more  nearly,  of  a  puff  of  smoke  drifting 
northward,  and  illuminated  by  the  rosy  hues  of  sunset. 
At  this  stage  of  observation  some  one  jogged  the  instru- 
ment, and  before  it  could  be  adjusted  to  another  group,  a 
glint  of  sunlight  from  the  disc's  right  margin  blinded  our 
unaccustomed  retinas  and  flooded  the  landscape  with 
returning  day.  At  the  same  instant,  looking  upward, 
we  beheld  the  Moon's  black  shadow,  sharply  defined  as  a 
icaJl  in  the  air,  sweep  majestically  away  from  right  to 
left  before  our  eyes — and  the  total  eclipse  of  186 9  had 
become  a  thing  of  the  past !  " 

Great  changes  in  the  solar  prominences,  as  a  rule,  take 
place  only  very  slowly,  or  quite  imperceptibly.  In  some 
cases,  however,  the  change  in  the  form  of  a  prominence 
is  so  extraordinar3%  and  occurs  with  such  rapidity,  that 
it  can  only  be  ascribed  to  extremely  violent  agitations  in 
the  upper  portions  of  the  solar  atmosphere,  compared 
w4th  which   the   cyclonic  storms,  occasionally  agitating 


372  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  earth's  atmosphere,  sink  into  insignificance.      The 
observation  of  such  a  solar  storm  has  been  thus  described 
by  Lockyer:     "On  the  14th  of  March,  1869,  about  9h. 
45m.,  I  observed  a  fine  dense  prominence  near  the  Sun's 
equator,  on  the  eastern  limb,  in  which  intense  action  was 
evidently  taking  place.    At  lOh.  50m.,  when  the  action  was 
slackened,  I   saw   at   once  that   the   dense    appearance 
had  all  disappeared,  and  cloud-like  filaments  had  taken 
its  place.     The  aspect  presented  in  Picture  I.,  embracing 
an    irregular    prominence,    with    a   long    and   perfectly 
straight  one,  was  assumed  by  llh.  5m.,  the  height  of  the 
prominence  being  1'  5",  or  about  27,000  miles.     I  left 
the  observatory  for  a  few  minutes,  and  on  returning  at 
llh.   15m.   I   was    astonished   to  find   that  part  of  the 
straight  prominence  had  entirely  disappeared ;  not  even 
the  slightest  track  appeared  in  its  place;  and  the  whole 
phenomenon  had  taken  the  form  presented  in  Picture  II." 
Professor  Respighi  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  solar  prom- 
inences are  of  an  eruptive  origin  and  of  a  gaseous  nature, 
and  that  electric  action  in  some   form  is  concerned  in 
producing   these    eruptions.     He   observed    some   prom- 
inences that  exceeded  three  minutes,  or  ten  times  the 
earth's  diameter,  in  height;    and  one    prominence  that 
was  not  less  than  twenty  times  the  earth's  diameter,  or 
160,000   miles    in   altitude.     He   also  noticed   that  the 
formation  of  a  prominence  is  usually  preceded  by  the 
appearance  of  a  rectilinear  jet,  either  vertical  or  oblique, 
and  very  bright  and  well  defined.     This  jet  rising  to  a 
great  height,  is  seen  to  bend  back   again,  falling  toward 
the  Sun  like  the  jets  of  our  fountains,  and  presently  the 
sinking    matter   is    observed    to    assume   the  shape  of 
gigantic  trees  more  or  less  rich  in  branches  and  foliage. 
Gradually  the  whole  sinks  down  upon  the  Sun,  sometimes 
forming  isolated  clouds  before  reaching  the  solar  surface. 


(tiCTiJBE  t) 


gOIiAK   STORM   OBSERVED  BY   LOCKTER,  March  14,  1869. 


FOUNTAIN    OF   LIGHT.  27^ 

It  is  in  the  upper  portions  of  such  prominences  that  the 
most  remarkable  and  rapid  transformations  are  witnessed; 
but  a  great  difference  is  observed  in  the  rate  with  which 
prominences  change  in  figure.  Their  duration,  too,  is 
very  variable.  Some  develop  and  disappear  in  a  few 
minutes,  while  others  remain  visible  for  several  days, 
lie  considers  that  the  sharply  defined  bases  of  the  erup- 
tive jets  prove  that  the  eruption  takes  place  through 
some  compact  substance,  forming  a  species  of  solar  crust. 
He  also  holds  that  the  enormous  velocity  with  which 
these  gaseous  masses  rush  through  the  solar  atmosphere 
implies  that  the  latter  is  of  exceeding  tenuity. 

Professor  Young,  of  Dartmouth  College,  America,  by 
means  of  an  instrument  called  Telespectroscope,  witnessed 
the  most  remarkable  outburst  from  the  Sun  ever  yet  seen 
by  man.  '"On  the  7th  of  September,  1871,  between 
12.30  and  2  p.  m.,"  he  says,  "there  occurred  an  outburst 
of  solar  energy  remarkable  for  its  sudden  violence.  Just 
at  noon  I  had  been  examining  with  the  telespectroscope 
an  enormous  protuberance  of  hydrogen  close  on  the  east- 
ern limb  of  the  Sun.  It  had  remained  with  very  little 
change  since  the  preceding  noon — a  long,  low,  quiet-lookr- 
ing  cloud,  not  very  dense  or  brilliant,  nor  in  any  way 
remarkable  except  for  its  size.  It  was  made  up  mostly 
of  filaments  nearly  horizontal,  and  floated  above  the 
chromatosphere  with  its  lower  surface  at  a  height  of  some 
15,000  miles,  but  was  connected  with  it,  as  is  usually 
the  case,  by  three  or  four  vertical  columns  brighter  and 
more  active  than  the  rest.  Lockyer  compares  such  masses 
to  a  banyan  grove.  In  length  it  measured  3'  45",  and  in 
elevation  about  2'  to  its  upper  surface — that  is,  it  was 
about  100,000  miles  long  by  54,000  high. 

"At  12.30,  when  I  was  called  away  for  a  few  minutes, 
there  was   no  indication  of  what  was  about  to  happen, 


374  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

except  that  one  of  the  connecting  stems  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  cloud  had  grown  considerably  brighter, 
and  was  curiously  bent  to  one  side ;  and  near  the  base  of 
another  at  the  northern  end  a  little  brilliant  lump  had 
developed  itself,  shaped  much  like  a  summer  thunder- 
head.     The  annexed  figure  represents  the  prominence  at 


BANYAN  GROVE  ON  THE  SUN. 


this  time,  a  being  the  little  thunder -head.  What  was  my 
surprise,  then,  on  returning  in  less  than  half  an  hour, 
to  find  that  in  the  meantime  the  whole  thing  had  been 
literally  blown  to  shreds  by  some  inconceivable  up-rush 
from  beneath.  In  place  of  the  quiet  cloud  I  had  left,  the 
air,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  was  filled  with  flying 
debris — a  mass  of  detached  vertical  fusiform  filaments, 
each  from  10"  to  30"  long,  by  2"  or  3"  wide,  brighter  and 
closer  together  where  the  pillars  had  formerly  stood,  and 
rapidly  ascending.      (See  Fig.  1,  next  page.) 

"  When  I  first  looked,  some  of  them  had  already 
reached  a  height  of  nearly  4'  (100,000  miles),  and  w^hile 
I  watched  them  they  rose  with  a  motion  almost  percep- 
tible to  the  eye,  until  in  ten  minutes  the  uppermost  were 
more  than  200,000  miles  above  the  solar  surface.  This 
was  ascertained  by  careful  measurement ;  the  mean  of 
three  closely  accordant  determinations  gave  7'  49"  as  the 
extreme  altitude  attained,  and  I  am  particular  in  the 
statement  because,   so  far   as  I  know,   chromatospheric 


FOUNTAIN   OF   LIGHT. 


875 


matter  [red  hydrogen  in  this  case)  has  never  before  been 
observed  at  an  altitude  exceeding  5'.  The  velocity  of 
ascent  also,  166  miles  per  second,  is  considerably  greater 
than  anything  hitherto  recorded.  A  general  idea  of  its  ap- 
pearance when  the  filaments  attained  their  greatest  eleva- 
tion may  be  obtained  from  the  accompanying  cut  (Fig.  1). 

Fig.  1  Fig.  2. 


KXPLOSIVK  PHENOMENA  IN  THE  SUN. 


As  the  filaments  rose  they  gradually  faded  away  like  a 
dissolving  cloud,  and  at  1.15  only  a  few  filmy  wisps,  with 
some  brighter  streamers  low  down  near  the  chromato- 
sphere,  remained  to  mark  the  place. 

"But  in  the  meanwhile  the  little  tlninder-head,  before 


376  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

alluded  to,  had  grown  and  developed  wonderfully  into  a 
mass  of  rolling  and  ever-changing  flame,  to  speak  accord- 
ing to  appearance.  First  it  was  crowded  down,  as  it  were, 
along  the  solar  surface  (Fig.  3,  a) ;  later  it  rose  almost  pyr- 
amidally 50,000  miles  in  height ;  then  its  summit  was 
drawn  out  into  long  filaments  and  threads  which  were  most 
curiously  rolled  backwards  and  downwards,  like  the  volutes 
of  an  Ionic  capital  (Fig.  2) ;  and  finally  it  faded  away,  and 
by  2.30  had  vanished  like  the  other.  The  figures  inserted 
in  this  paragraph  show  it  in  its  full  development;  the 
former  having  been  sketched  at  1.40,  and  the  latter  at  1.55. 

"  The  whole  phenomenon  suggested  most  forcibly  the 
idea  of  an  explosion  under  the  great  prominence,  acting 
mainly  upwards,  but  also  in  all  directions  outwards,  and 
then  after  an  interval  followed  by  a  corresponding  in- 
rush. The  same  afternoon  a  portion  of  the  chromato- 
sphere  on  the  western  limb  of  the  Sun  was  for  several 
hours  in  a  state  of  unusual  brilliance  and  excitement." — 
Boston  Journal  of  Gliemistry. 

Fr.  Secchi,  of  the  astronomical  observatory  at  Rome, 
sums  up  the  result  of  his  investigations  of  these  solar 
phenomena  as  follows  : — "  The  prominences  are  not  mere 
optical  illusions  (as  once  supposed),  but  real  phenomena 
appertaining  to  the  Sun,  being  collections  of  luminous 
matter  of  great  brilliancj^,  and  possessing  a  remarkable 
photographic  activity.  Masses  of  this  matter  arc  found 
suspended,  at  very  great  elevations,  and  isolated  like 
clouds  in  the  air.  Besides  the  prominences,  a  zone  of  the 
same  material  envelops  the  whole  of  the  Sun's  globe. 
The  observation  of  eclipses /t^nuWics  indisputahle  evidence 
that  his  sphere  is  really  surrounded  by  a  layer  of  this 
red  matter,  of  which  we  commonly  see  no  more  than  the 
most  elevated  points.  The  prominences  spring  from  this 
envelop;  they  are  masses  which  raise  themselves  above 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  377 

the  general  level,  and  even  at  times  detach  themselves 
from  it.  Some  among  them  resemble  smoke  from  the 
craters  of  volcanos,  which,  when  arrived  at  a  certain 
elevation,  yields  to  a  current  of  air,  and  extends  horizon- 
tally. The  number  of  prominences  is  incalculable.  When 
observing  the  Sun  directly,  its  globe  appeared  to  be  en- 
circled with  flames;  there  were  so  many  that  it  seemed 
hopeless  to  attempt  to  count  them.  The  height  of  the 
prominences  is  very  great,  especially  if  we  notice  that  ac- 
count must  be  taken  of  the  portion  concealed  by  the  moon. 
Thus  estimated,  the  largest  protuberance  visible  in  1860 
was  certainly  not  less  than  3'  in  height,  which  corre- 
sponds to  about  ten  times  the  diameter  of  the  earth ; 
the  others  had  a  height  of  from  one  to  two  minutes." 

Lockyer  has  since  been  able  to  confirm  Secchi's  theory, 
that  the  Sun  is  wholly  surrounded  by  a  layer  or  en- 
velop of  colored  matter,  whence  those  stupendous  prom- 
inences arise ;  the  thickness  of  this  layer  he  estimates  at 
some  5,000  miles  on  an  average.  To  these  Leverrier 
adds  his  testimony  in  these  words :  "  The  existence  of  a 
bed  of  rose-colored  matter,  partially  transparent,  covering 
the  whole  surface  of  the  Sun,  is  a  fact  established  by  the 
observations  made  during  the  eclipse  of  this  year." 

Such,  in  brief,  are  the  marvels  in  connection  with  the 
great  orb  of  day  which  are  revealed  to  us  through  the 
darkness  of  eclipses,  and  which  but  for  such  conjunctions 
of  the  solar  and  lunar  globes  would  in  all  probability  have 
remained  forever  hidden  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 
Even  with  the  aid  of  eclipses,  man  has,  as  it  were,  but 
just  opened  his  eyes  to  see  these  stupendous  phenomena, 
and  they  are  all,  as  yet,  involved  to  him  in  great  mystery. 
The  Corona  and  Sierra,  the  eruptions  and  flames,  the  ele- 
ments that  compose  them,  the  forces  that  impel  and 
govern  them,  the  velocity  with  which  they  travel,  the 


378  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

height  to  which  they  ascend,  and  the  purposes  which 
they  subserve,  suggest  a  multitude  of  questions  which 
science,  at  this  present,  is  altogether  unable  to  answer. 
But  with  the  new  instruments  and  new  methods  of  obser- 
vation, of  late  employed,  new  facts  have  been  rapidly 
accumulating;  and  the  day  may  not  be  far  off  when 
much  light  will  be  thrown  upon  all  these.  In  the  mean- 
while they  open  up  to  us  the  most  astonishing  views  of 
the  Creator's  power  and  plans,  of  his  works  and  ways. 
And  who  can  contemplate  these  stupendous  commotions 
and  magnitudes  and  velocities,  which  are  thus  perpetu- 
ally displayed  on  the  surfiice  of  the  solar  orb,  and  not  be 
filled  with  sentiments  of  awe  and  adoration  !  Who  but 
must  exclaim,  "  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works. 
Lord  God  Almighty  !  " 

Teachings. 

But  these  phenomena  of  the  material  creation,  marvel- 
lous as  they  may  appear,  are  but  symbols  of  more  amazing 
phenomena  of  grace.  As  the  Sun  of  nature,  in  passing 
through  the  obscuration  of  an  eclipse,  thus  discloses 
physical  wonders,  which  else  would  have  remained  invis- 
ible, so  the  San  of  Rigliteousness,  in  passing  tliromjli  the 
darkness  of  the  tomb,  revealed  Divine  (/lories  ivhich  other- 
wise would  have  remained  forever  unhnown  to  man. 

An  eclipse  of  the  Sun  is  not  an  accident,  or  chance 
event,  but  a  necessary  and  foreseen  result  of  the  plan  on 
which  the  solar  system  is  constructed.  Such  are  the 
relations  of  the  orbits,  distances  and  velocities  of  the 
globes  composing  it,  that  each  particular  eclipse  must 
take  place  at  a  set  time.  Hence  the  astronomer  can 
foretell  the  exact  date  of  its  occurrence.  So,  likewise, 
the  eclipse  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  in  the  darkness  of 
the  grave  was  not  an  accident,  not  the  mere  issue  of  the 


FOUNTAIN    OF    LIGHT.  379 

Jews'  caprice,  or  of  Pilate's  cowardice,  but  a  necessary 
and  fore-appointed  event  in  the  wondrous  ^9/tm  of  human 
redemption — a  phm  well-ordered  and  sure  in  all  things. 
Such  was  the  guilt  of  man,  and  such  the  justice  of  God, 
that  "  there  could  be  no  remission  of  sin  without  the 
shedding  of  blood."  According  to  the  determinate  counsel 
and  foreknowledge  of  God,  Christ  must  needs  have  suf- 
fered, and  been  buried,  and  risen  again  from  the  dead. 
Accordingly,  God  beforehand  showed  by  the  mouth  of  all 
his  prophets,  that  Christ  should  suffer  and  die.  For  this 
end  came  he  into  the  world.  And  having  come,  when 
in  the  course  of  his  ministry  the  proper  period  had 
arrived,  "  Jesus  himself  from  that  time  forth  began  to 
show  unto  his  disciples  how  that  he  must  go  unto  Jeru- 
salem, and  suffer  many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief 
priests  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  raised  the  third 
day."  And  with  all  this  fully  known — with  all  the 
treachery  of  Judas,  the  brutalitj^  of  the  Roman  soldiery, 
the  raGre  and  malice  of  the  Jews,  the  scourire  and  the 
crown  of  thorns,  the  cross,  the  spear,  and  the  grave, 
clearly  before  his  view — yet,  with  a  purpose  and  a  step 
as  unfaltering  as  the  movement  of  the  Sun  in  the 
heavens,  he  advanced  to  meet  all,  to  endure  all,  to  accom- 
plish all,  that  was  appointed  of  the  Father. 

As  we  have  already  seen,  when  the  dark  orb  of  the 
moon  invades  the  bright  and  glorious  disc  of  the  Sun, 
there  is  cast  a  dismal  pall  over  all  below ;  man  stands  in 
awe,  and  every  living  thing  comes  to  a  dread  pause.  So, 
when  the  enemy  assailed  the  person  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, and  quenched  his  pure  and  illustrious  life  in 
death,  a  gloom,  an  ominous  gloom,  overspread  the  sky  ;  the 
air  seemed  to  be  full  of  foreboding  signs;  a  thrill  of 
tremor  passed  through  the  solid  earth ;  the  rocks  were 
rent,  the  graves  of  the  dead  were  opened;  and  a  sense  of 


380  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

some  awful  presence,  hovering  in  vengeful  witness  of  the 
dreadful  scene,  seized  and  chilled  alike  the  guilty  and  the 
innocent  with  emotions  of  dread  and  horror.  Even  the 
hardened  centurion  and  they  that  were  with  him  feared 
greatly.  And  all  the  people  that  came  together  to  thaD 
sight,  beholding  the  things  which  were  done,  smote  upon 
their  breasts  and  returned.  And  all  his  acquaintance, 
and  the  women  that  followed  him  from  Galilee,  dumb 
with  grief  and  terror  and  amazement,  stood  afar  off, 
beholding  these  things.  And  there  was  darkness  over 
all  the  land  on  that  great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord. 

But  out  of  that  darkness,  as  from  the  hidden  sphere  of 
the  eclipsed  sun,  there  shone  forth  wonders  and  glories 
which  the  world  had  never  beheld  or  known  before. 
Now  appeared  the  love  of  Christ  for  shifal  men  with  a 
power  and  a  splendor  which  eye  had  not  seen,  nor  ear 
heard,  nor  heart  of  man  conceived.  Now  was  displayed 
love  that  could  face  all  the  scorn  and  derision  of  men, 
and  all  the  malice  and  cruelty  of  devils — that  could 
endure  the  laceration  of  flesh  and  veins  and  nerves  and 
every  tender  sensibility — that  could  undergo  the  torments 
of  burning  fever  and  raging  thirst — that  could  drink  the 
deepest  and  bitterest  dregs  of  the  cup  of  humiliation  and 
suffering — that  could  lay  his  body  a  living  sacrifice  upon 
the  altar,  and  make  his  soul  an  offering  for  sin — and  that 
even  dared  to  encounter  the  hidings  of  his  Father's  face, 
dearer  to  him  than  all  the  wealth  of  the  universe !  0 
the  love  of  Christ !  As  a  divine  halo  it  glows  and  radi- 
ates around  that  dark  and  doleful  tomb.  Who  shall 
declare  it?  It  passeth  all  understanding,  all  the  imagi- 
nation of  men  and  of  angels.  Dear  reader,  whosoever 
thou  art,  think,  oh  think,  of  this  love.  Hold  it  in  daily 
grateful  recollection.  Meditate  often  upon  the  divine 
and  pleasing  theme.     Let  every  scene  on  earth  and  every 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  381 

orb  in  heaven  remind  you  and  speak  to  you  of  the 
Saviour's  love.  When  you  behold  the  rising  hills,  or 
tread  the  solid  rocks,  let  them  call  to  your  remembrance 
the  hill  and  the  rocks  which  marked  and  witnessed  the 
conflict  of  his  dying  love.  When  you  view  the  Sun  in 
the  brightness  of  his  glory,  or  gaze  upon  the  midnight 
sky,  and  mark  the  thousands  of  its  glowing  fires,  then 
think  that  He,  who  fixed  them  there,  once  hung  on  Cal- 
vary, that  you  might  shine  as  a  star,  as  a  Sun,  in  his 
kingdom,  when  those  stars  shall  shine  no  more  ! 

Out  of  the  dark  dark  scene  of  Christ's  death  and  burial 
we  also  see  shining  forth,  as  bright  and  life-giving  beams, 
the  Propitiation  for  our  sins  and  the  Assurance  of  eternal 
life.  As  we  witness  the  Holy  One  of  God  bowing  his 
head  in  death,  and  saying,  "  It  is  finished,"  we  see  all 
the  claims  of  Divine  Justice  against  us  fully  answered, 
and  our  justifici-tion  secure  and  complete.  As  we  behold 
him  burst  the  bonds  of  death,  and  come  forth  a  conqueror 
over  the  tomb,  we  see  the  curse  of  the  law  removed,  aye, 
and  reversed  into  a  glorious  triumph.  '"  Who,  now,  shall 
lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God 
that  justifieth  :  who  is  he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is  Christ 
that  died;  j'ea,  rather,  that  is  risen  again;  who  is  even 
at  the  right  hand  of  God;  who  also  maketh  intercession 
for  us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ? 
Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or 
nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  Nay,  in  all  these  things 
we  are  more  than  conquerors,  through  him  that  loved 
us.  For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  tilings  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

Again — As  from   behind   the   dark   orb  of  the   moon 


382  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

burst  forth  the  corona  and  leaping  glories  of  the  hidden 
Sun,  so  from  behind  that  "  great  stone,"  placed  on  the 
mouth  of  the  tomb,  shine  forth  the  assurance  and  the 
pattern  of^  our  oicn  Resurrection  to  a  glorious  immortality. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the  week,  even 
wliile  it  was  yet  dark,  that  stone,  by  rejoicing  angels,  was 
rolled  away,  and  Jesus  rose  triumphant  over  death,  hell, 
and  the  grave.  0  blessed  morn!  0  transporting  victory! 
The  dark,  mysterious  eclipse  is  passed,  and  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  shines  again  in  all  his  glories.  Now  is 
Christ  risen  from  the  dead,  and  become  the  first  fruits  of 
them  that  sleep.  Because  he  lives  we  shall  live  also. 
As  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ  .shall  all  be  made  alive. 
He  that  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead,  shall  also  quicken 
our  mortal  bodies,  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us. 
Death  hath  no  more  dominion  over  us,  nor  the  grave  any 
more  dread  to  present.  "  In  the  tomb  of  Jesus  Christ 
are  dissipated  all  the  terrors  which  the  tomb  of  nature 
presents.  In  the  tomb  of  nature,  0  sinner,  thou  beholdest 
thy  frailty,  thy  subjection  to  the  bondage  of  corruption  : 
in  the  tomb  of  Jesus  Christ  thou  beholdest  thy  strength 
and  thy  deliverance.  ■  In  the  tomb  of  nature  the  punish- 
ment of  sin  stares  thee  in  the  face  :  in  the  tomb  of  Jesus 
Christ  thou  findest  the  expiation  of  it.  From  the  tomb 
of  nature  thou  hearest  the  dreadful  sentence  pronounced 
against  all  the  posterity  of  Adam,  '  Dust  thou  art,  and 
into  dust  shalt  thou  return  :'  but  from  the  tomb  of  Jesus 
Christ  issue  those  accents  of  consolation,  '  I  am  the  resur- 
rection, and  the  life ;  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he 
were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live.'  In  the  tomb  of  nature 
thou  readest  this  universal,  this  irrevocable  doom  written, 
^It  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die:'  but  in  the  tomb 
of  Jesus  Christ,  thy  tongue  is  loosed  into  this  triumphant 
song  of  praise,  '0  death,  where  is  thy  sting?  0  grave. 


FOUNTAIN   OF  LIGHT.  383 

where  is  thy  victory  ?     Thanks  be  to  God  who  giveth  us 
the  victory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'"* 


ANALOGY  XYIII. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature^  after  having  been  eclipsed,  continues  to  shed  its  light 
as  before  upon  the  dark  and  desolate  oi'b  of  the  moon  that  had  invaded  its 
glories — so  the  Sun  of  liighteousness,  after  His  eclipjse  in  the  darkness 
of  the  tomb,  ceased  not  to  pour  His  gracious  light  on  the  ungrateful  race 
that  had  crucified  and  slain  Him. 

Phenomena. 

Ignorance  is  the  mother  of  superstition  and  fear;  it 
fancies  shadows  to  be  reahties,  peoples  darkness  with 
evils  which  have  no  existence,  and  interprets  a  thousand 
things  to  be  ominous  of  danger  where  no  danger  is.  Be- 
fore the  nature  and  true  causes  of  eclipses  were  under- 
stood, these  phenomena  were  regarded  as  supernatural 
events,  and  viewed  with  apprehension  and  alarm.  It 
was  believed  that  they  were  produced  by  the  immediate 
interposition  of  God,  as  a  token  of  his  displeasure.  When 
the  Sun  was  totally  eclipsed,  it  was  imagined,  by  many 
of  the  ancients,  that  he  turned  away  his  face,  in  disap- 
probation and  abhorrence  of  some  atrocious  crime  that 
had  been  committed,  or  was  about  to  be  perpetrated  on 
the  earth,  and  threatened  mankind  with  everlastino:  niorht. 
History  abounds  with  illustrations  of  this  in  every  age, 
and  nearl}'  in  every  land. 

When  the  Medes  and  Persians,  several  centuries  before 
Clirist,  had  engaged  in  battle,  and  just  as  the  combat  was 
growing  warm,  there  occurred  a  total  eclipse  of  the  Sun, 
'*  Day,"  says  Herodotus,  "  was  on  a  sudden  changed  into 
night.     At  this,  both  armies  were  so   alarmed  that  they 

*  Saurin,  Sermou  LXXIII. 


384  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ceased  fighting,  and  were  alike  anxious  to  have  the 
terms  of  peace  agreed  on."* 

Herodotus  relates  a  similar  occurrence  in  connection 
with  Xerxes,  on  his  expedition  against  Greece.  "At  the 
moment  of  departure  from  Sardis,  the  Sun  suddenly 
quitted  his  seat  in  the  heavens,  and  disappeared,  though 
there  were  no  clouds  in  sight,  but  the  sky  was  clear  and 
serene.  Day  was  thus  turned  into  night;  whereupon 
Xerxes,  who  saw  and  remarked  the  prodigy,  was  seized 
with  alarm,  and  sending  at  once  for  the  Magians,  inquired 
of  them  the  meaning  of  the  portent.  They  replied  : 
'God  is  foreshowing  to  the  Greeks  the  destruction  of 
their  cities ;  for  the  Sun  foretells  to  tliem,  and  the  moon 
for  us.'  So  Xerxes,  thus  instructed,  proceeded  on  his  way 
with  great  gladness  of  heart." 

When  the  fleet  of  Pericles,  the  celebrated  Grecian,  was 
preparing  to  attack  Peloponnesus,  there  happened  an 
eclipse  of  the  Sun,  which  was  considered  a  most  un- 
fortunate omen ;  and  all  the  Athenian  commanders,  to- 
gether w^ith  their  whole  force,  were  thrown  into  the 
greatest  consternation. 

Ignorant  and  uncivilized  nations  still  look  upon  eclipses 
as  omens  of  evil,  and  connect  various  superstitions  with 
their  occurrence.  The  Hindoos,  relates  Lockyer,  when 
they  see  the  black  disc  of  our  satellite  advancing  over  the 
Sun,  believe  that  the  jaws  of  a  dragon  are  gradually  eat- 
ing it  up.  To  frighten  off  the  devouring  monster,  they 
commence  beating  gongs  and  rending  the  air  with  dis- 
cordant screams  of  terror  and  shouts  of  vengeance.  For 
a  time  their  efforts  have  no  effect;  the  eclipse  still  pro- 
gresses.    At   length,   however,   the   uproar   terrifies  the 

*  This  eclipse  is  said  to  liave  been  foretold  by  Thales,  and  several  different  years 
have  been  assigned  as  its  true  date.  Recent  calculations  made  by  Oltraanus,  from 
the  newest  astronomical  tables,  put  it  in  the  year  610  B.  C,  and  this  agrees  with  all 
the  conditions  of  the  event. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  385 

voracious  dragon ;  he  appears  to  pause,  and,  like  a  fish 
that  has  nearly  swallowed  a  bait  and  then  rejects  it,  he 
gradually  disgorges  the  fiery  mouthful.  When  the  Sun 
is  quite  clear  of  the  monster's  jaws,  a  shout  of  joy  is 
raised,  and  the  exultant  natives  congratulate  themselves 
on  having,  as  they  suppose,  saved  their  deity  from  a  dis- 
astrous fate.  Elsewhere  in  India,  the  natives  immerse 
themselves  in  the  rivers  up  to  the  neck,  which  they  re- 
gard as  a  most  devout  position,  and  thus  seek  to  induce 
the  luminary  which  is  in  process  of  eclipse  to  defend 
itself  against  the  dragon. 

Similar  notions  prevail  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
The  following  description  of  the  effects  produced  by  a 
solar  eclipse  on  the  inhabitants  of  Barbary  is  given  by 
Mr.  TuUy  in  his  Letters  from  Tripoli — "I  cannot  here  omit 
describing  what  an  extraordinary  impression  an  eclipse 
makes  on  the  uninformed  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  this 
country.  Of  this  we  had  ocular  proof  during  the  great 
eclipse  of  the  Sun,  on  the  fourth  of  this  month,  which 
occasioned,  for  some  minutes,  a  gloomy  darkness,  resem- 
bling that  of  midnight.  The  darkness  was  at  its  height 
by  half-past  eight  in  the  morning.  The  screech-owl,  not 
long  retired  to  its  rest,  reappeared,  and  disturbed  the 
morning  with  its  shrieks.  Lizards  and  serpents  were 
seen  prowling  about  the  terraces ;  and  flights  of  evening 
birds,  here  called  marabats,  and  held  sacred  by  the 
Moors,  flew  about  in  great  numbers,  and  increased  the 
darkness.  The  noisy  flitting  of  their  wings  roused  the 
Moor,  who  had  been  stupefied  by  fear;  and  when  one 
of  these  heavy  birds  (which  often  drop  to  the  ground  by 
coming  in  contact  with  each  other)  chanced  to  fall  at  his 
feet,  the  African  would  start  aghast,  look  at  it  with 
horror,  and  set  up  a  hideous  howl.     About   8   o'clock, 

when  the  lustre  of  the  morning  was  completely  faded, 
Si 


386  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  common  Moors  were  seen  assembling  in  clusters  in 
the  streets,  gazing  wildly  at  the  Sun,  and  conversing 
very  earnestly.  When  the  eclipse  was  at  its  height, 
they  ran  about  distracted,  in  companies,  firing  volleys 
of  muskets  at  the  Sun,  to  frighten  away  the  monster  or 
dragon,  as  they  called  it,  by  which  they  supposed  it  was 
being  devoured.  At  that  moment,  the  Moorish  song  of 
death  and  walliah-woo,  or  the  howl  they  make  for  the 
dead,  not  only  resounded  from  the  mountains  and  valleys 
of  Tripoli,  but  was  undoubtedly  re-echoed  throughout 
the  continent  of  Africa.  The  women  brought  into  the 
streets  all  the  brass  pans,  kettles,  and  iron  utensils,  they 
could  collect ;  and  striking  on  them  with  all  their  force, 
and  screaming  at  the  same  time,  occasioned  a  horrid 
noise,  that  was  heard  for  miles.  Many  of  these  women, 
owing  to  their  exertions  and  fears,  fell  into  fits  or  fainted. 
The  distress  and  terror  of  the  Moors  did  not  in  the  least 
abate,  till  near  9  o'clock,  when  the  Sun  assured  them  by 
his  refulgent  beams,  that  all  his  dangers  were  passed." 

Such  exhibitions  of  ignorance  and  superstition,  while 
they  are  melancholy  to  contemplate,  should  inspire  us 
with  gratitude  for  the  light  and  advantages  we  enjoy  in 
a  land  where  science  is  cultivated,  and  Revelation  has 
dispelled  the  darkness  and  absurdities  which  envelop  the 
heathen  parts  of  our  world.  We  know  that  no  dragon 
or  any  other  monster  can  ever  attack  or  approach  the 
great  orbs  of  heaven.  And,  from  the  nature  of  eclipses, 
which  we  thoroughly  understand,  we  are  also  well  as- 
sured that  these  phenomena  are  no  more  to  be  inter- 
preted as  tokens  of  divine  displeasure  than  are  the  yearly 
recurrence  of  the  seasons,  or  the  regular  return  of  the 
tides  of  the  ocean.  We  know,  moreover,  that  even  the 
Moon,  the  true  cause  of  solar  eclipses,  has  no  power 
whereby  she  can  affect  the  intrinsic  brilliancy  of  the 


FOUNTAIN  OF   LIGHT.  389 

great  Fountain  of  Light,  that  glorious  orb  being  more 
than  ninety  millions  of  miles  above  and  beyond  the 
reach  of  her  influence.  The  Sun,  in  reality,  loses  nothing 
of  his  native  lustre  during  the  greatest  and  most  protracted 
eclipse  that  can  occur;  but  is  even  then  all  the  while 
diffusing  streams  of  light  around  him  in  every  direction, 
and  illuminating  without  intermission  all  the  planetary 
bodies  of  the  system,  and  even  the  opposing  sphere  of 
the  Moon  herself  As  soon  as  this  little  lunar  speck, 
which  for  a  few  moments  intercepts  the  Sun's  rays,  is 
out  of  the  way,  his  beams  flood  the  earth  with  light  as 
brilliant  and  abundant  as  ever.  He  has  suffered  nothing 
by  the  interposition. 

One  obscuration  of  the  Sun,  indeed,  there  has  occurred, 
which  we  are  taught  on  the  highest  authority  to  ascribe 
to  the  immediate  agency  of  the  Great  Ruler  of  all. 
The  event  is  distinctly  recorded  by  no  less  than  three 
independent  historians.  It  took  place  at  the  supreme 
moment  of  all  time — that  of  the  crucifixion  of  our  blessed 
Lord  and  Saviour.  These  are  the  words  in  which  it  is 
related  by  the  evangelist  St.  Luke  : — "And  it  was  about 
the  sixth  hour,  and  there  was  darkness  over  all  the  earth 
until  the  ninth  hour :  and  the  Sun  was  darkened." 
From  the  explanation  before  given  of  the  nature  and 
cause  of  solar  eclipses,  it  is  evident  that  this  darkness 
must  have  been  supernatural.  It  could  not  have  been  a 
natural  eclipse  of  the  sun ;  for  it  happened  at  the  time 
of  the  Jewish  Passover,  and  that  festival,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  law,  was  to  be  celebrated  at  the  full  Moon, 
when  it  was  impossible,  according  to  the  established  laws 
of  nature,  that  an  eclipse  of  the  Sun  could  take  place. 
This  will  be  apparent  by  reference  to  the  annexed  figure. 
An  eclipse  of  the  Sun  occurs  at  the  new  moon,  or  when  it 
is  at  N,  directly  between  the  earth  and  the  Sun.     But 


390 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


at  this  time  the  Moon  was  full,  and  at  F,  or  the  furthest 
possible  point  in  her  orbit  from  that  of  a  solar  eclipse. 
To  all  this  we  may  add,  that  in  a  total  eclipse  of  the  Sun, 
the  continuance  of  total  darkness  can  never  be  more  than 
«even  minutes,  and  most  commonly  does  not  exceed 
three  or  four  minutes;  but  the  darkness  which  over- 
spread the  earth  while  the  Redeemer  hung  upon  the 
cross,  prevailed  without  intermission  for  full  three  hours. 
In  confirmation  of  what  has  now  been  stated,  we  may 
further  just  mention  the  interesting  fact,  that  astrono- 
mers, by  calculating  backwards,  have  discovered  that  an 
eclipse  of  the  Moon,  which  can  only  take  place  at  the 


POSITION   OF  THE   MOON   AT   A  SOLAR   ECLIPSE. 

full,  happened  on  the  evening  of  that  ever  memorable 
day  on  which  the  Saviour  was  crucified.  And  so  it  came 
to  pass,  according  to  the  words  of  the  prophet,  that  "  The 
Sun  and  the  Moon  were  both  darkened  in  their  habi- 
tation, on  that  day." 

Teachings. 
Now,  as  the  Sun  of  nature,  after  having  been  eclipsed, 
comes  forth  again  as  brilliant  as  ever,  and  continues  to 
shed  its  light  as  before  on  the  earth,  and  even  on  the 
dark  and  desolate  orb  of  the  Moon  that  had  invaded  and 
obscured  its  glories, — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  after 
having  been  rejected  of  men,  and  been  laid  in  the  dark- 


FOUNTAIN  OP  LIGHT.  39X 

ness  of  the  tomb,  came  forth  the  same  Divine  and 
Glorious  Being,  mid  continued  to  pour  his  graciotts  light 
upon  our  ungrateful  race,  and  even  upon  those  who  with 
wlclced  hands  had  crucified  and  slain  Him. 

The  intercepting  globe  of  the  Moon,  as  just  stated, 
has  no  power  to  abate,  or  alter,  or  in  anywise  to  affect 
the  intrinsic  glories  of  the  Sun — that  vast  and  resplen- 
dent orb  being  immeasurably  above  and  beyond  its  puny 
influence;  so  neither  had  the  rage  and  mockery,  the 
insults  and  cruelty  of  the  Jews  any  power  to  change  the 
mind  or  heart,  the  purpose  or  the  disposition,  of  the 
adorable  Son  of  God  as  the  Saviour  of  men.  Though 
they  had  rejected  his  messages  of  mercy,  and  met  the 
overtures  of  his  compassion  with  the  frowns  of  hate  and 
execration,  and  finally  requited  all  by  his  murder  upon 
the  ignominious  cross,  yet  none  of  these  things  moved 
liim  from  his  purpose  of  love  and  mercy  toward  them. 
He  still  pitied  them,  still  stood  ready  to  pardon  and  to 
save  them. 

As  the  only  effect  which  the  interposition  of  the  moon 
has  upon  the  Sun  is  to  render  him  apparently  all  the 
brighter,  by  the  contrast,  when  the  eclipse  is  over,  so  the 
only  influence  w^hich  the  vile  ingratitude  and  malice  of 
the  Jewish  rulers  had  upon  the  benign  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness was  to  quicken  his  love  and  mercy  toward  them, 
and  to  hasten  his  efforts  to  save  them  from  the  destruc- 
tion toward  which  they  were  rushing.  The  offer  of  salva- 
tion through  his  atoning  blood  was  to  be  made  first  to 
those  who  had  so  cruelly  shed  that  blood.  lie  com- 
manded his  disciples  "that  repentance  and  remission  of 
sins  should  be  preached,  in  his  name,  among  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalemr  0  wondrous  grace  and  mercy 
— Beginning  at  Jerusalem  !  After  all  the  inorratitude 
that  had  pierced  his  loving  heart — after  all  the  unutterable 


392  THE    CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

suflfe rings  of  the  cross  and  humiliation  of  the  grave,  ''yet 
no  sooner  does  he  find  himself  in  a  capacity  to  bless,  than 
he  exercises  the  prerogative  in  blessing  them.  We  might 
almost  as  soon  have  expected  that  he  would  have  sent 
his  gospel  to  be  proclaimed  over  the  mouth  of  perdition 
as  to  Jerusalem,  the  hell  of  earth.  At  least,  we  should 
have  expected  to  see  it  making  the  circuit  of  the  earth 
before  it  came  there ;  or  to  hear  him  directing  his  apostles 
to  wait  till  his  immediate  enemies  had  descended  to  the 
grave — to  visit  Jerusalem  last.  But  the  course  of  his 
grace  admits  not  of  human  calculation ;  for  he  sends  them 
to  Jerusalem  first.  While  the  eyes  of  his  enemies  are 
yet  gleaming  with  the  fire  of  triumphant  revenge,  he 
commissions  his  apostles  to  hasten  and  open  the  charter 
of  redemption  within  sight  of  Calvary;  to  let  them  know 
that,  whatever  they  might  have  drawn  from  his  heart, 
his  love  for  them  remained  there  still."  * 

Unparalleled  as  this  act  of  grace  toward  Jerusalem  is, 
yet  it  is  but  a  type  of  his  boundless  benevolence  toward 
the  world  at  large.  Though  he  well  knew,  and  could 
clearly  foresee,  that  all  coming  generations  of  men,  to  the 
end  of  time,  would  display  a  similar  spirit  to  that  of  the 
Jews — that  the  carnal  mind  in  every  land  would  virtually 
re-enact  the  ignominious  scenes  of  Calvary — that  multi- 
tudes in  every  age  "  would  crucify  the  Son  of  God  afresh," 
and  put  him  to  an  open  shame — that  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  would  set  themselves  against  him  and  against 
his  cause — that  those  who  would  become  his  disciples 
would  be  hated  and  hunted  and  slain  for  his  name's 
sake — yet,  with  all  this  wickedness  of  spirit  and  all 
this  widespread  guilt  lying  distinctly  before  him,  he 
commissioned   his  disciples   to   carry  the    Gospel   to  all 

*  The  Great  Teacher,  p.  282. 


FOUNTAIN  OF  LIGHT.  393 

nations,  and  to  deliver  the  message  of  his  love  to  every 
creature. 

Adorable  Son  of  God,  what  divine  benevolence  we 
behold  in  thee !  What  unquenchable  love !  What  a 
triumph  of  ineffable  mercy  over  human  ingratitude  and 
sin! 

"  O  for  this  love,  let  rocks  and  hills 
Their  lasting  silence  break, 
And  all  harmonious  human  tongues 
The  Saviour's  praises  speak. 

"  Yes,  we  will  praise  thee,  dearest  Lord, 
Our  souls  are  all  on  flame ; 
Hosauna  round  the  spacious  earth, 
To  thine  adored  name. 

"  Angels,  assist  our  mighty  joys, 
Strike  all  your  harps  of  gold ; 
But  when  you  raise  your  highest  notes. 
His  love  can  ne'er  be  told." 


PART    THIRD. 


THE  SUN  AS  THE  SOURCE  OF  HEAT. 


ANALOGY  I. 

As  the  Solar  Orb  is  the  fountain  from  whence  the  whole  system  of  nature  de- 
rives its  vivifying  heat— so  Christ,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  is  the 
Source  from  whence  the  whole  system  of  revealed  religion  derives  its 
spiritual  vitality. 

Phenomena. 

N  the  course  of  the  preceding  Analogies  we 
have  seen  that  the  Sun,  as  the  fountain  of 
light,  is  a  great  and  marvellous  orb,  present- 
ing the  most  sublime  displays  of  the  Creator's 
wisdom  and  power,  and  offering  the  most  in- 
structive types  and  illustrations  of  the  offices 
and  character  of  the  Sun  of  Kighteousness, 
as  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  And,  in  this 
division  of  our  subject,  we  shall  find  that  Orb,  as  the 
central  Source  of  Heat  to  the  system  of  nature,  to  be 
equally  interesting  and  instructive  in  regard  to  the  same 
divine  subjects. 

The  globe  upon  which  we  dwell  derives  all  its  heat 
from  the  Sun,  and  upon  the  incessant  flow  of  his  warm 
rays  depends  the  continued  existence  of  all  the  organized 
beings,  plantal  as  well  as  animal,  which  now  occupy  its 
surface.     The  heat  indispensable  to  all  terrestrial  life  is 

(394) 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  395 

derived  from  the  Sun ;  the  earth  itself  does  not  and  can- 
not supply  it. 

It  is  the  general  supposition  that  our  planet,  in  the 
early  period  of  its  existence,  was  a  molten  globe,  that  in 
process  of  time  it  so  far  cooled  as  to  form  upon  its  surface 
a  solid  crust,  and  that  it  has  been  cooling  ever  since. 
This  is  held  to  be  indicated  by  the  igneous  character  of 
the  primitive  rocks  wherever  found,  and  to  be  confirmed 
by  the  spheroidal  figure  of  the  earth,  being  exactly  such 
as  would  have  been  taken  by  a  fluid  mass  revolving  with 
its  velocity.  Admitting  all  this  to  be  fiict,  and  that  its 
central  nucleus  may  still  be  in  a  more  or  less  molten  con- 
dition ;  yet  the  quantity  of  heat  which  reaches  its  surface 
from  within  has  long  since  ceased  to  be  sensible.*  So 
that  it  may  be  said,  and  correctly  said,  that  all  the  heat 
enjoyed  by  the  living  world  comes  to  it  directly  from  the 
Sun. 

The  sunbeam,  as  all  know,  is  the  bearer  not  of  light 
only,  but  of  heat  also.  It  combines  in  its  ethereal  threads 
with  the  visible  rays,  which  illumine,  invisible  rays,  which 
heat.  These  two  kinds  of  rays  are  distinct  in  their  nature, 
and  may  be  even  separated.  The  invisible  or  heating 
rays  were  first  discovered  by  Sir  William  Herschel,  and 
their  discovery  was  made  in  connection  with  the  solar 
spectrum, f  and  in  the  following  manner:  Let  the  line 
D  E  represent  the  extent  of  the  visible  spectrum,  from 
the  verge  of  the  Red,  on  the  left,  to  the  opposite  verge  of 
the  Violet,  on  the  right.  Passing  a  thermometer  succes- 
sively through  the  seven  colors,  from  right  to  left,  he 
found  the  first  indication  of  heat  at  E ;  as  it  advanced 
through  the  Violet,  Indigo,  Blue,  Green,  Yellow,  Orange 
and  Red,  the  mercury  gradually  rose,  as  represented  by 

*  See  Tyndall's  Heat  a  Mod*  of  Motion,   §  663. 

t  For  a  description  of  the  Spectrum,  see  Part  II.,  Aualogy  2. 


396 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


the  inclined  line  above,  until  it  reached  C,  the  outward 
verge  of  Red,  and  of  all  light  and  color.  Advancing 
the  instrument  still  in  the  same  direction,  he  observed 
that  the  mercury  continued  to  rise,  though  in  perfect 
darkness,  till  it  reached  B,  where  it  attained  its  max- 
imum height;  from  thence  it  rapidly  descended  to  A, 
where  all  indication  of  heat  vanished.  This  experiment 
proved  that  side  by  side  with  its  luminous  rays  the  Sun 
emits  other  rays,  conveying  heat,  and  that  these,  though 
invisible,  extend  from  D  to  A,  and  affect  the  thermom- 


DARK  AND  LUMINOUS  BAYS  OF  THE  SUN. 


eter  as  marked  by  the  curved  line  C  B  A.  Hence  the 
white  space,  C  D  E,  may  be  regarded  as  approximately 
representing  the  heating  value  of  the  visible,  and  the 
black  space,  C  B  A  D,  the  heating  value  of  the  invisible 
radiation  of  the  Sun. 

In  further  illustration  of  the  existence  and  power  of 
these  invisible  rays,  it  may  be  stated  that,  if  those  falling 
between  D  and  A  be  received  on  a  concave  mirror  so  as 
to  be  gathered  into  a  focus,  that  focus  will  be  found 
burning  hot,  so  hot  that  it  will  readily  ignite  chips, 
explode  gunpowder,  and  even  heat  metal  to  incandes- 
cence.    It  is  not  the  luminous  rays  of  the  Sun,  therefore, 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  397 

but  its  dark,  or  invisible  rays,  that  warm  the  face  of 
nature,  evaporate  the  surface  of  lakes  and  oceans,  form 
the  clouds,  and  thus  provide  the  means  to  water  and 
refresh  the  earth. 

The  amount  of  heat  daily  received  by  the  earth  from 
the  Sun  is  very  great.  Some  idea  of  this  may  be  formed 
from  the  fact  that  the  quantity  of  heat  which  falls  upon 
a  little  lens,  or  burning  glass,  not  more  than  one  inch  in 
diameter,  is  sufficient,  as  every  one  has  witnessed,  to 
ignite  straw,  shavings,  and  similar  light  materials. 
Larger  lenses  or  reflectors,  of  course,  exhibit  propor- 
tionally more  powerful  effects.  The  Tschirnhausen 
burning  mirror,  constructed  in  1687,  had  a  diameter  of 
70  inches,  and  a  focus  6  feet  from  the  surface ;  this, 
though  made  of  copper,  readily  melted  silver,  and  even 
vitrified  bricks.  Bernieres  constructed  for  Louis  XV.  a 
burning  mirror,  made  of  tinned  glass,  of  still  greater 
power.  Buffon  contrived  a  mirror  with  which  he  could 
burn  wood  at  the  distance  of  200  feet.  This  last  experi- 
ment, we  may  observe,  lends  credibility  to  the  well- 
known,  but  long  doubted  story  concerning  Archimedes, 
at  the  siege  of  Syracuse,  213  b.  c.  "That  philosopher," 
says  the  historian  Zonaras,  "  having  received  the  Sun's 
rays  on  the  surface  of  a  mirror,  with  the  help  of  these 
rays,  gathered  together  and  reflected  by  the  impervious- 
ness  and  polish  of  the  mirror,  inflamed  the  air,  and  lit  a 
great  flame,  which  he  threw  entirely  over  all  the  Roman 
vessels  that  were  anchored  within  the  sphere  of  his 
activity,  and  thus  set  them  on  fire."  Buffbn's  experi- 
ment, at  least,  proves  the  possibility  of  such  an  achieve- 
ment. A  burning  glass,  designed  by  Lavoisier,  easily 
melted  iron,  and  platinum  itself  exhibited  traces  of  fusion 
when  exposed  to  its  power. 

Now,  if  such  an  amount  and  intensity  of  solar  heat  is 


398  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

found  to  fall  on  the  few  square  feet  occupied  by  one  of 
the  above  mirrors,  what  must  be  the  amount  that  falls 
upon  a  square  mile — upon  a  whole  continent — upon 
an  entire  hemisphere!  "The  earth  is  a  globe,"  says  Sir 
John  Ilerschel;  "and  therefore,  taken  on  an  average,  it  is 
constantly  receiving  as  much,  both  of  light  and  heat,  as 
a  flat  circle  8,000  miles  in  diameter,  held  perpendicularly 
to  receive  it.  Now,  that  circle,  or  section  of  the  earth, 
is  50,000,000  square  miles,  so  that  there  falls  at  every 
instant  on  the  whole  earth  50,000,000  times  as  much 
heat  as  falls  on  a  square  mile  of  the  hottest  desert  under 
the  equator  at  noonday  with  a  vertical  Sun  and  with  not 
a  cloud  in  the  sky — and  in  fact  nearly  a  third  more  ;  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  the  Sun's  heat  is  absorbed  in  the 
air  in  the  clearest  weather,  and  never  reaches  the  ground. 
Now,  we  all  know  that  in  those  countries  it  is  much 
hotter  than  we  like  to  keep  our  rooms  by  fires.  I  have 
seen  the  thermometer  four  inches  deep  in  the  sand,  in 
South  Africa,  rise  to  159°  Fahrenheit:  and  I  have  cooked 
a  beef-steak,  and  boiled  eggs  hard,  by  simple  exposure 
to  the  Sun  in  a  box  covered  with  a  pane  of  window-glass, 
and  placed  in  another  box  so  covered.  From  a  series  of 
experiments  I  made  there,  I  ascertained  that  the  direct 
heat  of  the  Sun,  received  on  a  surface  capable  of  absorb- 
ing and  retaining  it,  is  competent  to  melt  an  inch  in 
thickness  of  ice  in  2h.  18m.,  and  from  this  I  was  enabled 
to  calculate  how  much  ice  would  be  melted  per  hour  by 
the  heat  actually  thrown  on  a  square  mile  exposed  at  noon 
under  the  equator,  and  the  result  is  58,300,000  lbs.,  or  in 
round  numbers,  26,000  tons;  and  this  vast  mass  has  to 
be  multiplied  50  millionfold  to  give  the  effect  produced 
on  a  diametrical  section  of  our  globe,  that  is,  on  the  hemi- 
sphere facing  the  Sun."  * 

*  Familiar  Lectures  on  Scientific  Subjects,  p.  G4. 


SOURCE   OF  HEAT.  399 

M.  Pouillet  arrived  at  almost  exactly  the  same  conclu- 
sion, but  took  a  different  method  to  express  the  result. 
"  If  the  total  quantity  of  heat,"  says  he,  "which  the  earth 
receives  from  the  Sun  in  the  course  of  one  year,  were 
uniformly  spread  over  all  the  surface  of  the  globe,  and 
if  it  were  employed,  without  any  loss,  in  the  operation 
of  melting  ice,  it  would  be  capable  of  melting  a  layer  of 
ice  enveloping  the  whole  globe  and  of  the  thickness  of 
nearly  31  metres  (101  feet);  or,  in  other  words,  to  heat 
an  ocean  of  fresh  water  60  miles  deep  from  the  temper- 
ature of  melting  ice  to  the  boiling  point." 

Professor  Tyndall  has  employed  another  method  still 
to  calculate  and  to  express  the  enormous  amount  of 
solar  heat  incessantly  poured  upon  the  globe  of  the  earth: 
"  The  aqueous  vapor  of  the  air,  with  all  the  rain  and 
snow  into  which  it  is  formed,  is  the  direct  product  of  the 
Sun's  heat.  The  latent  heat  of  aqueous  vapor,  at  the 
temperature  of  its  production  in  the  tropics,  is  about 
1,000°  Fahr.,  for  the  latent  heat  augments  as  the  tem- 
perature of  evaporation  descends.  A  pound  of  water, 
then,  vaporized  at  the  equator,  has  absorbed  1.000  times 
the  quantity  of  heat  which  would  raise  a  pound  of  the 
liquid  one  degree  in  temperature.  But  the  quantity  of 
heat  which  would  raise  a  pound  of  water  one  degree, 
would  raise  a  pound  of  cast-iron  ten  degrees :  hence, 
simply  to  convert  a  pound  of  the  water  of  the  equatorial 
ocean  into  vapor,  would  require  a  quantity  of  heat,  suffi- 
cient to  impart  to  a  pound  of  cast-iron  10,000  degrees  of 
temperature.  But  the  fusing-point  of  cast-iron  is  2,000° 
Fahr.;  therefore,  for  every  pound  of  vapor  produced,  a 
quantity  of  heat  has  been  expended  by  the  Sun,  sufficient 
to  raise  51bs.  of  cast-iron  to  its   melting  point."*     Let 

*  Utat  a  Mode  of  Motion,  §  240. 


400  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  reader  pause,  and  reflect  what  this  astonishing  fact 
implies. 

Let  him  first  consider  that  all  the  water  which  all  the 
rivers  of  the  globe  pour  into  the  ocean  has  been  raised 
therefrom  in  the  form  of  vapor — all  that  the  Hudson  and 
St.  Lawrence,  the  Colorado  and  Rio  Grande,  the  Mac- 
kenzie and  the  Mississippi,  in  North  America;  all  that 
the  Orinoco,  the  Amazon,  and  the  La  Plata,  in  South 
America;  all  that  the  Nile  and  the  Niger,  the  Congo 
and  Zambesi,  in  Africa ;  all  that  the  Rhine,  the  Rhone, 
the  Danube  and  the  Volga,  in  Europe;  all  that  the 
Ganges  and  Indus,  the  Obi  and  Yenesi,  the  Amoor  and 
Hoang-ho,  the  Yang-tse-kiang  and  Brahmapootra,  in 
Asia;  together  with  a  thousand  other  minor  streams  in 
each  of  these  continents : — let  him  estimate  the  number 
of  pounds  of  water  which  all  these  daily  and  hourly  pour 
into  the  oceans  of  the  globe,  and  then  consider  what  must 
be  the  amount  of  heat  that  would  melt  five  times  that 
weight  of  solid  cast-iron  into  flowing  liquid,  and  he  will 
have  some  idea  of  the  immense  amount  of  heat  which  the 
Sun  perpetually  pours  upon  the  globe  we  inhabit.  And  yet 
all  this  constitutes  but  a  part,  and  the  smaller  part,  of 
that  heat,  for  a  vast  quantity,  doubtless  more  than  half, 
of  the  vapor  raised  falls  back  into  the  ocean  in  the  form 
of  rain  and  snow,  without  ever  reaching  the  dry  land  or 
contributing  one  drop  to  form  the  rivers. 

To  aid  him  to  a  more  adequate  appreciation  of  the 
great  fact  before  us,  let  the  reader  again  contemplate  the 
vast  fields  of  ice  and  mountains  of  snow  embraced  within 
the  arctic  and  antarctic  circles,  embracing  an  area  of  some 
15,000,000  of  square  miles;  let  him  further  survey  the 
masses  of  the  glaciers  and  perpetual  snows  resting  on  the 
heights  of  all  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  globe — the 
Alps,  the  Urals,  the  Himalayas,  the  Altaic  the  Andes 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  401 

and  the  Rocky  Mountains;  and  let  him  add  all  these 
together,  and  increase  the  sum  fivefold ;  and  then  con- 
ceive an  extent,  a  length  and  breadth  and  depth  of  cast- 
iron,  equal  in  weight  to  the  whole,  raised  to  the  white 
heat  of  fusion,  and  he  will  have  before  him  an  expression 
of  the  amount  of  heat  expended  by  the  Sun  in  their 
production. 

The  above  facts  and  illustrations,  partial  and  approxi- 
mate as  they  are,  may  serve  to  convey  some  idea  of  the 
enormous  amount  of  heat  poured  without  intermission 
from  the  great  Sun,  upon  the  earth,  and  of  its  perpetual 
dependence  upon  him.  From  the  Sun,  as  before  stated, 
our  globe  derives  all  its  heat  and  vitality.  It  is  his 
warm  beams  that  maintain  the  atmosphere,  the  soil,  and 
the  waters  of  the  ocean  at  such  a  temperature  as  renders 
it  habitable  to  man,  or  beast,  or  even  capable  of  producing 
and  supporting  the  lowest  species  of  vegetation.  Deprived 
of  the  solar  heat,  the  earth  would  speedily  become  a 
frozen,  dead  and  tenantless  ball.  The  Sun  is  the  life  of 
the  world. 

Teachings. 

Here  again  we  find  the  Solar  orb  a  most  significant 
and  instructive  type  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness;  for,  as 
the  former  is  the  source  from  whence  the  whole  system 
of  nature  derives  its  vivifying  heat,  so  the  latter  is  the 
Fountain  from  whence  the  whole  system  of  revealed  re- 
ligion derives  its  spiritual  vitality.  Christ  is  the  radiant 
vital  power  that  animates  the  whole  sphere  of  Scripture 
Truth.  Apart  from  him  all  would  be  cold  and  lifeless. 
Divested  of  the  mercy,  and  grace,  and  love,  which  flow 
through  all  its  parts  from  Christ,  as  the  Son  of  God  and 
Saviour  of  men,  the  Sacred  Volume  would  be  a  book 
without  comfort,  without  hope,  withouL  value,  or  signifi- 
cance.    Its  whole  atmosphere  would  be  chilled,  all  its 


402  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

springs  of  consolation  would  be  frozen  up,  and  its  soil 
everywhere  would  be  found  barren  and  desolate.  Not 
more  cheerless  would  the  earth  be  without  the  Sun,  than 
the  whole  circle  of  revelation  would  be  without  Christ. 
He  is  its  life. 

Christ  is  the  life  of  all  its  Doctrines.  Apart  from  Him 
these  would  be  but  meaningless  sounds,  or  empty  forms 
of  words.  What  is  the  doctrine  of  Atonement  apart 
from  his  sacrifice  upon  the  cross?  What  is  the  doctrine 
of  Justification  by  faith  apart  from  his  merits?  What  is 
the  doctrine  of  Regeneration  apart  from  the  renewing 
of  his  Spirit?  What  is  the  doctrine  of  our  Resurrec- 
tion disconnected  from  his,  who  is  tlie  first  fruits  of  them 
that  sleep?  for  if  Christ  be  not  raisfd  our  faith  is  vain, 
and  we  are  yet  in  our  sins. 

Christ  is  also  the  life  of  all  the  Ordinances  of  religion. 
Dissevered  from  him  these  would  be  as  wells  without 
water,  or  clouds  without  rain.  What  is  Baptism,  what 
its  benefit  or  significance,  apart  from  the  cleansing  efficacy 
of  his  blood,  the  fountain  opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness? 
What  is  the  Holy  Supper  apart  from  the  memory  of  his 
dying  love  ?  What  is  Preaching  if  it  proclaim  not  him 
whom  God  hath  exalted  to  be  a  prince  and  a  Saviour  to 
give  repentance  and  remission  of  sins? 

Christ  is,  likewise,  the  life  of  all  Christian  Graces. 
What  is  Faith,  or  Hope,  or  Love,  without  him  as  their 
ground  and  inspiration? 

Christ,  moreover,  is  the  life  of  all  religious  Duties. 
He  it  is  that  worketh  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his 
good  pleasure.  "As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of 
itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  no  more  can  ye,  except 
YQ  abide  in  me." 

And,  lastly,  Christ  is  the  life  of  all  religious  Happiness. 
He  is  our  peace.     A  sense  of  his  living  presence,  assur- 


SOURCE    OF    HEAT.  403 

ance  of  his  love  shed  abroad  in  the  heart,  daily  and 
hourly  communion  with  him;  oh,  this  is  the  fountain  of 
the  highest  felicity  attainable  to  mortal  man  on  earth ! 

Christ  is  the  light  and  the  life  of  the  whole  Christian 
system.  "Intellectually,  morally,  and  spiritually,  Christ 
is  Christianity.  Christianity  is  not  related  to  him,  as  a 
philosophy  might  be  to  a  philosopher,  that  is,  as  a  moral 
or  intellectual  system  thrown  off  from  the  mind  of  its 
author,  and  resting  thenceforward  only  on  its  own  merits. 
A  philosophy  may  thus  be  severed  altogether  from  the 
person  of  its  originator  with  entire  impunity.  Platonic 
thought  would  not  have  been  damaged  if  Plato  had  been 
annihilated.  But  detach  Christianity  from  Christ,  and 
it  vanishes  before  your  eyes  into  intellectual  vapor.  For 
it  is  the  essence  of  Christianity  that,  day  by  day,  and 
hour  by  hour,  the  Christian  should  live  in  conscious,  felt, 
sustained  relationship  to  the  everliving  author  of  his 
creed  and  his  life.  Christianity  is  non-existent  apart 
from  Christ;  it  centres  in,  and  radiates  from,  him.  It 
is  not  a  mere  doctrine  bequeathed  by  him  to  a  world 
with  which  he  has  ceased  to  have  any  dealings.  It  per- 
ishes outright  when  we  separate  it  from  the  living  person 
of  its  founder.  Christ  is  the  quickening  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian humanity.  He  lives  in  Christians;  thinks  in  Chris- 
tians; acts  through  and  with  Christians;  and  is  associated 
with  every  movement  of  the  Christian's  deepest  life. 
That  life  is  a  loyal  homage  of  the  intellect,  of  the  heart, 
and  of  the  will  to  a  Divine  King,  with  whom  will,  heart, 
and  intellect  are  in  close  and  constant  communion,  and 
from  whom  there  flows  forth  through  the  truth,  and  the 
sacraments,  and  the  Spirit,  that  supply  of  light,  and 
love,  and  resolve,  that  enriches  and  ennobles  the  Chris- 
tian soul."* 

*  Liddon's  Bampton  Lectures. 
26 


404  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  origination  and  permanence  of  the  Sun^s  heat,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
planetarij  system,  are  inexplicable  to  human  science— so  the  incentive 
and  perpetuity  of  the  love  of  Christ,  the  Sun  of  liighteonsness,  for  the 
race  of  man,  are  past  all  human  understanding. 

Phenomena. 

In  the  preceding  Analogy  we  have  seen  what  an  enor- 
mous quantity  of  heat  unceasingly  falls  upon  the  earth 
from  the  Sun,  and  how  stupendous  the  work  it  is  inces- 
santly accomplishing  on  sea  and  land.  And  yet  what 
our  world  receives  is  but  a  minute  fraction  of  the  total 
amount  of  heat  which  that  great  and  glowing  orb  throws 
out  on  all  sides  and  in  all  directions.  Sir  John  Herschel 
employs  the  following  striking  method  to  set  forth  that 
total  amount.  The  globe  of  the  earth  occupies  only  the 
75,000th  part  of  the  circumference  of  the  circle  which  it 
describes  about  the  sun.  So  that  75,000  of  such  earths 
at  that  distance,  and  in  that  circle,  placed  side  by  side, 
would  all  be  equally  well  warmed  and  lighted, — and, 
then,  that  is  only  in  one  plane!  But  there  is  the  whole 
sphere  of  space  above  and  below,  unoccupied;  at  any 
single  point  of  which,  if  an  earth  were  placed  at  the  same 
distance,  it  would  receive  the  same  amount  of  light  and 
heat.  Take  all  the  planets  together,  great  and  small; 
the  light  and  heat  they  receive  is  only  1-227  millionth 
part  of  the  whole  quantity  thrown  out  by  the  Sun.  All 
the  rest  escapes  into  free  space,  and  is  lost  among  the 
Stars;  or  does  there  some  other  work  that  we  know 
nothing  about.  Of  the  small  fraction  thus  utilized  in  our 
system,  the  earth  takes  for  its  share  onl}^  one-tenth  part, 
or  less  than  1-2000  millionth  part  of  the  whole."* 

*  Familiar  Lectures,  p.  63. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  405 

Professor  Tyndall  expresses  substantially  the  same 
fact  in  the  following  manner.  "Knowing  the  annual 
receipt  of  heat  by  the  earth,  we  can  calculate  the  entire 
quantity  of  heat  emitted  by  the  Sun  in  a  year.  Conceive 
a  hollow  sphere  to  surround  the  Sun,  its  centre  being  the 
Sun's  centre,  and  its  surface  at  the  distance  of  the  earth 
from  the  Sun.  The  section  of  the  earth,  cut  by  this  sur- 
face, is  to  the  whole  area  of  the  sphere,  as  1  :  2,300,000,- 
000  'y  hence,  the  quantity  of  solar  heat  intercepted  by  the 
earth  is  only  l-2,300,000,000th  of  the  total  radiation."* 

But  what  we  are  specially  concerned  with  in  the  present 
Analogy  is  the  mfrinsic  heat  of  the  Sun,  or  the  actual 
heat  it  embodies  in  itself  This,  says  one  philosopher,  is 
"  seven  times  as  great  as  that  of  the  vivid  ignition  of 
the  fuel  in  the  strongest  blast  furnace ; "  while  another, 
after  a  series  of  careful  experiments,  estimates  it  at 
nearly  thirteen  millions  of  degrees  of  Fahrenheit ;  and  a 
third,  as  being  one  thousand  times  that  of  oxy-hydrogen 
flame,  one  of  the  hottest  knowm. 

M.  Pouillet,  a  distinguished  French  astronomer,  makes 
the  following  statement :  "  If  the  total  quantity  of  heat 
emitted  from  the  Sun  were  exclusively  employed  to  melt 
a  layer  of  ice  closely  surrounding  the  solar  globe,  that 
quantity  of  heat  would  be  sufficient  to  melt  in  one  minute 
a  layer  11.8  metres  (36.6  feet)  thick,  and  in  one  day  a 
layer  17  kilometres  (10.5  miles)  thick."  And  he  adds 
that,  this  calculation  rests  upon  no  mere  hypothesis,  but 
is  based  upon  the  best-established  principles  regarding 
the  radiation  of  heat. 

Sir  John  Herschel  has  made  the  following  ingenious 
comparison  and  computation,  which  show  in  a  very 
striking  manner  the  prodigious  intensity  of  the  solar 
heat.     "Let  us  suppose  a  cylindrical  pillar  of  ice,  forty- 

*  Heat  a  Mode  of  Motion,  ^  685. 


406  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

five  miles  in  diameter,  to  be  continually  darted  into  the 
Sun,  and  that  the  water  produced  by  its  fusion  is  contin- 
ually carried  off.  In  order  that  the  heat  given  off  con- 
stantly by  radiation  should  be  wholly  expended  in  its 
liquefaction,  it  would  be  necessary  to  plunge  the  cylin-^ 
der  of  ice  into  the  Sun  with  the  velocity  of  light."  *  In 
other  words,  the  heat  of  the  Sun  is  sufficient,  without 
diminishing  its  intensity,  to  melt  in  a  second  of  time  a 
column  of  ice  1,590  square  miles  at  its  base,  182,000 
miles  in  height. 

The  figures  and  comparisons  employed  by  Professor 
Tyndall  to  set  forth  the  stupendous  intensity  of  heat  at  the 
«olar  focus  are  these : — "  The  heat  emitted  by  the  Sun, 
if  used  to  melt  a  stratum  of  ice  applied  to  the  Sun's  sur- 
face, would  liquefy  the  ice  at  the  rate  of  2,400  feet  an 
hour.  It  would  boil,  per  hour,  700,000  millions  of  cubic 
miles  of  ice  cold  water.  Expressed  in  another  form,  the 
heat  given  out  by  the  Sun,  per  hour,  is  equal  to  that 
which  would  be  generated  by  the  combustion  of  a  layer 
of  solid  coal,  ten  feet  thick,  entirely  surrounding  the  Sun  ; 
hence,  the  heat  emitted  in  a  year  is  equal  to  that  which 
would  be  produced  by  the  combustion  of  a  layer  of  coal 
seventeen  miles  in  thickness."  f 

Such  is  the  intrinsic  heat  of  the  Sun,  and  such  the 
prodigious  quantity  of  heat  it  throws  out  without  inter- 
mission. As  we  contemplate  these  stupendous  facts  and 
figures,  two  questions  naturally  suggest  themselves  to  the 
mind  :  How  originated  this  great  heat  of  the  Sun  ?  and, 
how  has  it  been  sustained  and  perpetuated  through  all 
the  ages  of  the  past?  To  neither  of  these  questions  is 
human  science  able  to  return  any  very  definite  or  certain 
answer. 

As  to  the   first  question,  those  who  hold  to  what  is 

*  Outlines  of  Astronomy,  g  397.  f  -He<^  «  Mode  of  Motion,  g  686. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  407 

known  as  the  Nebular  Theory,  have  attempted  to  account 
for  the  origination  of  the  Sun's  heat  in  some  such  man- 
ner as  this  : — In  its  earliest  condition,  the  solar  globe 
existed  in  the  form  of  an  extended  mass  of  nebulous 
matter,  or  a  vast  cloud  of  gases.  By  the  force  of  gravi- 
tation this  was  slowly  and  silently  drawn  together,  and 
the  compression  of  the  particles,  together  with  the  chemi- 
cal action  which  presently  set  in,  gradually  produced  a 
degree  of  heat  through  the  mass.  As  this  compressive 
and  chemical  process  went  on,  acting  more  and  more 
powerfully,  the  whole  became  a  rounded  and  incandes- 
cent cloud ;  and  this  bright  and  heated  cloud,  in  process 
of  time,  through  the  same  potent  agencies,  was  condensed 
into  a  sphere  of  glowing  fluid ;  and  this  again,  finally, 
into  the  radiant  and  luminous  orb  we  now  behold  shining 
in  the  heavens.  This,  it  must  be  admitted,  is  a  grand 
and  sublime  conception ;  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  it  is  but  a  theory,  and  that  its  account  of  the  orig- 
ination of  the  Sun's  heat  is  nothing  more  than  a 
hypothesis. 

But  in  whatever  form  the  Sun  may  have  originated, 
and  in  whatever  way  its  heat  has  been  garnered  or  pro- 
duced, certain  it  is  that  it  has  existed  as  we  now  be- 
hold it,  sending  forth  ceaseless  floods  of  light  and  heat 
into  surrounding  space,  during  a  period,  compared  with 
which,  that  embracing  the  whole  of  human  history  is  but 
as  one  day  to  a  thousand  years,  or  perhaps,  to  a  thousand 
ages.  The  proof  of  this  we  have  already  given.*  And 
here  comes  in  our  second  question.  How  has  the  Sun's 
heat  been  kept  up  and  perpetuated  through  these  thou- 
sands and  millions  of  years?  That  the  Sun  is  dissipat- 
ing its  energies  in  the  constant  flow  of  light  and  heat 
which  it  emits  there  can  be  no  doubt.     This  is  demon- 

■*"  See  Part  I.,  Analogy  3. 


408  THE   CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

strable.  The  working  of  a  steam-engine,  says  Proctor, 
does  not  more  certainly  indicate  and  prove  the  consump- 
tion of  fuel  than  does  the  Sun's  radiation  of  light  and 
heat  imply  and  prove  the  consumption  of  its  energy. 
How  then  is  this  expenditure  repaid  ?  By  what  means, 
or  in  what  way  have  its  radiant  forces  been  sustained 
undiminished,  unweakened,  through  all  the  vast  periods 
of  its  existence?  By  what  arrangements  have  its  en- 
ergies been  fed  and  replenished  so  that  its  eye  remains 
undimmed  and  its  natural  heat  unabated  to  this  day  ? 

Various  hypotheses  have  been  put  forth  with  a  view 
to  answer  these  questions,  among  which  the  following  are 
the  most  noteworthy: 

Some  have  supposed  that  the  present  light  and  heat 
of  the  Sun  proceed  from  what  remains  of  the  liigli  tempera^ 
ture  originally  imjparted  to  its  stupendous  globe ;  and  that 
both  must  be  diminishing  in  intensity,  though  so  slowly 
as  to  be  imperceptible  within  any  such  short  periods  as 
the  life  of  a  man,  or  the  age  of  a  nation.  To  this  idea 
we  may  say,  that  the  Nebular  Theoiy  derives  the  earth 
and  all  the  other  planets  from  one  and  the  same  original 
gaseous  mass  as  the  Sun  itself,  and  therefore  holds  that 
the  materials  constituting  the  solar  orb  are  the  same  in 
nature  as  those  which  compose  the  terrestrial  globe.  And 
the  revelations  of  the  spectrum  confirm  this  view.*  All 
that  we  know  of  cosmical  phenomena,  says  Tyndall,  de- 
clare our  brotherhood  with  the  Sun,  and  affirm  that  the 
same  constituents  enter  into  the  composition  of  its  mass 
as  those  already  known  to  us  on  the  earth.  But  this 
"  cooling  hypothesis  "  renders  it  necessary  to  ascribe  to  it 
qualities  wholly  different  from  those  possessed  by  terres- 
trial matter.  Assuming  that  the  Sun  possesses  specific 
heat  equal  to  the  highest  that  belongs  to  any  earthly 

*See  Part  II.,  Analogy  7. 


SOURCE   OF   HEAT.  409 

substance,  then,  at  its  present  rate  of  emission,  its  entire 
mass  would  cool  down  15,000°  Fahr.  in  5,000  years. 
Now  if  such  a  rate  of  cooling  had  prevailed,  we  know 
that  the  Sun  has  existed  Ions:  enousrh  to  have  sunk  it  into 
such  a  state  of  decrepitude  as  would  have  numerous  ages 
since  rendered  it  incapable  of  either  warming  or  lighting 
the  planetary  system.  Within  historic  times,  no  diminu- 
tion in  its  light  or  heat  has  been  detected. 

Again,  assuming  that  the  Sun  is  a  globe  of  fire,  some 
have  concluded  that  the  light  and  heat  we  receive  from 
it  must  proceed  from  the  comhastion  of  its  substance.  This 
is  a  very  ancient  and  has  been  a  very  prevalent  idea,  but 
one,  nevertheless,  which  recent  scientific  light  compels 
us  to  abandon.  According  to  this  hypothesis,  the  Sun  is 
a  fire,  difiering  from  our  terrestrial  fires  only  in  the  mag- 
nitude and  intensity  of  its  combustion.  But  what  is  the 
burning  matter  which  can.  thus  sustain  itself  through 
immeasurable  periods  of  time  ?  It  can  be  proved,  and 
has  been  proved,  that  no  material  found  on  the  earth, 
and  no  meteoric  substance  that  has  fallen  from  the 
heavens,  would  be  competent  for  this.  "  The  chemical 
energy  of  such  substances,"  says  Tyndall,  "  would  be  too 
weak,  and  their  dissipation  too  speedy.  Were  the  Sun  a 
block  of  burning  coal,  and  were  it  supplied  with  oxygen 
sufficient  for  the  observed  emission  of  light  and  heat,  it 
would  be  utterly  consumed  in  5,000  years."  It  is  not 
by  burning,  then,  that  the  Sun  continues  to  give  out 
heat. 

A  third  theory  is,  that  the  Sun's  heat  is  produced  and 
perpetuated  by  the  contraction  of  its  volume.  The  process 
of  condensation  and  contraction  which  (according  to  the 
nebular  theory)  reduced  it  from  an  extended  and  diff'used 
gaseous  mass  to  a  more  compact  and  incandescent  cloud, 
and  from  this  again  to  a  molten  globe,  is  supposed  to  be 


410  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

still  going  on ;  its  constituent  particles  grinding  harder 
and  harder  upon  one  another,  and  thus  producing  and 
perpetuating  its  heat.  Helmholtz,  an  eminent  German 
physicist  and  mathematician,  has  made  the  calculation, 
that  if  the  volume  of  the  Sun  should  be  contracted  by  the 
l-10,000th  part  of  its  diameter,  there  would  be  produced 
thereby  an  amount  of  heat  equal  to  that  given  out,  at 
the  present  rate,  in  a  period  of  2,000  years.  And  he  has 
further  calculated,  that  if  this  contraction  should  proceed 
till  the  mean  density  of  the  Sun's  substance  should  be- 
come equal  to  the  mean  density  of  the  earth's  substance, 
the  process  would  evolve  an  amount  of  heat  sufficient  to 
supply  the  earth  and  the  system  for  17,000,000  of  years.* 
But  this  hypothesis,  plausible  as  it  appears,  like  the  pre- 
ceding, has  its  difficulties  and  its  defects,  and  is  open  to 
many  serious  objections. 

A  fourth  theory  attempts  tp  account  for  the  sustained 
heat  of  the  Sun  by  external  friction.  This  is  briefly 
stated  and  disposed  of  by  Professor  Tyndall,  as  follows : — 
*''  The  Sun  we  know  rotates  upon  his  axis  once  in  about 
twenty-five  days;  and  the  notion  has  been  entertained 
that  the  friction  of  the  periphery  of  this  wheel  against 
something  in  surrounding  space  produces  the  light  and 
heat.  But  what  forms  the  brake,  and  by  what  agency  is 
it  held,  while  it  rubs  against  the  Sun?  Granting,  more- 
over, the  existence  of  the  brake,  we  calculate  the  total 
amount  of  heat  which  the  Sun  could  generate  by  such 
friction.  We  know  his  mass,  we  know  his  time  of  rota- 
tion, we  know  the  mechanical  equivalent  of  heat;  and, 
from  these  data,  we  can  deduce,  with  certainty,  that  the 

*  Astronomers  have  determined  that  the  present  density  of  the  Sun  is  but  one- 
fourth  that  of  the  earth  ;  that  is,  a  cubic  mile  of  the  Sun's  substance  weighs  but  one- 
fourth  of  what  a  cubic  mile  of  the  earth's  substance  does.  In  size  the  Sun  exceeds 
the  earth  1,384,472  times,  but  in  mass  or  weight  only  354,936  times. 


SOURCE   OF   HEAT.  411 

force  of  rotation,  if  entirely  converted  into  heat,  would 
not  supply  a  sufficiency  even  for  two  centuries.  There  is 
nothing  hypothetical  in  this  calculation." 

A  fifth  theory,  first  propounded  by  Dr.  Mayer  of  Ger- 
many, and  worked  out  by  Prof  W.  Thomson  of  England, 
holds  that  the  heat  of  the  Sun  is  produced  and  sustained 
by  the  incessant  fall  of  meteors  upon  its  surface.     It  is 
now   regarded   as    an    established    fact    that   there   are 
uncounted   millions   of    diminutive   cosmical    bodies,  or 
comparatively  small  stony  and  metallic  masses  moving 
with  great  velocity  through  space,  after  the  manner  of 
the  planets.     These  in  groups  or  streams,  move  more  or 
less  uniformly  distributed,  encircle  the  Sun  in  elliptical 
orbits,  which  are  slowly  but  certainly  nearing  it.     These 
meteoric  bodies  are,  indeed,  invisible  even  through  the 
telescope ;  yet  we  have  palpable  evidence  of  their  exist- 
ence.    The  earth  in  her  annual  circuit  happens  to  cross 
the  path  of  one  of  these  streams,  and  the  result  is  that 
great  numbers  of  them  strike  upon  her  surface  in  the  form 
of  what  some  have  called  "thunderbolts,"  but  which  are 
commonly  termed  "  shooting  stars."     The  most  remark- 
able of  these  meteoric   falls  occur  on  the  night  of  the 
12th  of  August  and  that  of  the  14th  of  November.     On 
one  of  these  occasions,  they  were  seen,  at  Boston,  to  fall 
almost  as  thick  as  snow-flakes ;  it  was  estimated  that  no 
less  than  240,000  fell  within  view  in  the  space  of  nine 
hours.     That  vast  bright  zone,  called  the  Zodiacal  Light, 
which  encircles  the  Sun,  is  supposed  to  be  composed  of 
innumerable  millions  of  such  meteors.     And  as  more  or 
less  of  these,   in  their  onward   career,  come   under  the 
overpowering    attraction    of  the    Sun,   they   are    drawn 
inward  and  fall  upon  it.     And   in  this   way  a  constant 
rain  of  meteoric  matter  is  poured  down  upon  his  surface, 
each  falling  mass  creating  a  degree  of  heat  by  its  concus- 


412  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

sion  proportioned  to  its  weight  and  velocity.  This  will 
be  readily  understood  by  reference  to  a  familiar  fact :  the 
blacksmith,  by  a  vigorous  blow  of  his  hammer  upon  a 
bar  of  cold  iron,  will  raise  its  temperature;  and  by  a 
repetition  of  such  blows  he  can  in  a  few  moments  bring  it 
to  a  red  heat.  Similar,  but  infinitely  more  intense,  must 
be  the  effect  of  the  repeated  blows  of  these  meteors 
falling  from  vast  distances  and  with  inconceivable  speed 
upon  the  globe  of  the  Sun.  This  is  a  matter  susceptible 
of  mathematical  calculation.  A  meteoric  mass  or  asteroid 
falling  from  the  distance  of  the  outer  verge  of  the  solar 
system  would  strike  the  Sun  with  a  velocity  of  390 
miles  per  second,  and  its  blow  would  develop  more  than 
9,000  times  the  heat  generated  by  the  combustion  of  an 
equal  asteroid  of  solid  coal.  And  a  meteoric  mass,  falling 
from  the  average  distance  of  the  Zodiacal  Light,  would 
strike  the  Sun  with  a  velocity  of  276  miles  per  second, 
and  its  shock  would  create  an  amount  of  heat  equal  to 
that  of  the  combustion  of  upward  of  4,000  such  masses  of 
coal.  If  the  planet  Mercury  were  to  be  suddenly  stopped 
in  its  orbit,  and  to  fall  directly  into  the  Sun,  the  blow 
would  produce  a  quantity  of  heat  equal  to  the  total  amount 
emitted  by  the  Sun  in  seven  years.  If  the  earth  were  to 
fall  in  a  similar  manner,  its  shock  would  generate  a  quan- 
tity of  heat  equal  to  the  total  emission  of  the  Sun  in  95 
years;  and  the  fall  of  Jupiter,  equal  to  that  of  32,240 
years. — From  calculations  such  as  these,  the  advocates  of 
this  theory  hold,  whether  it  be  the  actual  fact  or  not,  that 
in  the  fall  of  meteors  they  have  an  agency  competent  to 
restore  'his  lost  or  expended  energy  to  the  Sun,  and  to 
maintain  a  temperature  at  his  surface  which  transcends 
all  terrestrial  combustion.  "  In  the  fall  of  meteors," 
says  Professor  Tyndall,  "  whatever  may  be  the  ultimate 
fate  of  the  theory,  we  find  means  that  are  aqKihle  of 
producing  the  solar  light  and  heat." 


A   METEOiiiG  SHOWER. 


(413) 


414  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Admitting  the  competency  of  the  tfieteoric  agency  to 
produce  the  required  results,  yet  this  theory  leads  to 
what  seem  to  be  insuperable  difficulties  to  its  acceptance. 
Besides  the  utter  discordance  of  such  terrific  pounding 
and  uproar  with  the  silent  and  beautiful  harmony  which 
prevails  in  all  else  throughout  the  system,  it  obviously 
tends  to  the  derangement,  if  not  to  the  speedy  destruction, 
of  the  whole  celestial  machinery.  Professor  Thomson 
has  calculated  that  the  quantity  of  matter  which  should 
fall  every  year  upon  the  Sun  so  as  to  maintain  its  tem- 
perature, would  form  on  its  surface  a  bed  66  feet  in 
thickness.  The  bulk  of  the  Sun  would  therefore  gradu- 
ally increase ;  and  it  would  result  from  this,  that,  in  53 
years,  the  length  of  time  occupied  in  its  rotation  on  its 
axis  would  be  increased  by  one  hour;  and  that  in  4,000 
years  its  diameter  would  be  augmented  by  50  miles. 
This  again  w^ould  affect  the  length  of  the  year  upon  our 
own  globe,  and  a  similar  result  would  be  produced  in  all 
the  other  planets. 

One  more  theory  remains  to  be  mentioned.  This 
ascribes  the  perpetual  light  and  heat  of  the  Sun  to  Elec- 
tric excitation.  It  assumes  that  the  universally  diffused 
ether,  which  occupies  all  space,  is  an  "electric  ether." 
This  medium,  being  infinitely  elastic,  is  easily  disturbed 
and  put  in  motion,  and  instantaneously  transmits  any 
impulse  given  to  it.  The  most  convenient  and  regular 
mode,  at  the  command  of  man,  for  disturbing  and  putting 
in  motion  this  electric  medium  is  by  axial  and  orbital 
revolutions  opposite  to  each  other,  such  as  the  daily  and 
annual  revolutions  of  the  planets  opposite  the  Sun.  The 
most  effective  machine  for  this  end  is  that  of  Holtz, 
which  mainly  consist  of  one  glass  plate  revolving  opposite 
to  another,  without  contact,  and  with  a  space  interven- 
ing between  them,  as  between  the  earth  and  Sun.     By 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  415 

means  of  this,  bright  electric  flashes  are  seen  to  pass 
nearly  two  feet  through  the  air  in  a  zigzag  course.  The 
rotation  of  all  bodies  opposite  to  magnets  induces  circu- 
lating electric  currents.  The  same  is  supposed  to  hold 
true  in  connection  with  the  grand  movements  of  the 
solar  system.  The  swift  axial  rotations  of  the  planets 
opposite  the  excited  globe  of  the  Sun,  by  inducing  the 
continual  circulation  of  electric  currents  about  each  one 
of  them,  convert  them  all  into  powerful  electro-magnets. 
Thus  we  have  a  solar  system  with  a  vast  central  electro- 
magnet, and  one  hundred  and  fifty  electro-magnets 
revolving  around  it,  each  rotating  on  its  axis.  These 
act  and  react  on  each  other  unceasingly,  and  with  intense 
power,  developing  the  phenomena  of  solar  light  and 
heat. 

"  If  the  mere  movement  of  one  disc  near  another,"  says 
a  zealous  advocate  of  this  theory,  "so  develops  light  as 
to  obtain  for  a  simple  instrument  the  name  of  'Electro- 
phorus,'  or  Sunshine-producer ;  and  if  the  rotation  of 
one  cylinder  opposite  to  another  excites  a  dazzling  light, 
— we  may  consider  that  the  swift  revolutions  of  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  great  globes  about  the  Sun, 
seven  hundred  fold  greater  than  them  all,  are  similarly 
employed  for  the  conversion  of  their  mechanical  force 
into  the  light  and  heat  of  sunshine.  In  the  operation  of 
an  inductive  electric  machine,  the  disc  which  is  at  rest  is 
independently  excited  by  friction,  so  that  it  will  react 
when  the  other  disc  is  turned  opposite  to  it.  In  the 
operation  of  the  solar  system,  instead  of  an  artificial 
excitation,  as  of  the  disc  at  rest,  the  great  central  orb  is 
excited  by  a  swift  rotation  on  its  axis,  opposite  to  the 
several  planets,  each  similarly  excited  by  rotation  on  its 
axis. 

"  This  axial  rotation  induces  electric  currents  around 


416  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  Sun,  and  around  each  of  the  planets;  which  thus 
become  polarized. 

"With  the  extraordinary  magnitude  of  the  central 
orb,  combined  with  its  extreme  velocity  of  rotation,  a 
correspondingly  greater  intensity  of  electric  excitation  of 
the  solar  electro-sphere  is  to  be  anticipated.  These  an- 
ticipations are  confirmed  by  the  observations  of  astrono- 
mers during  total  eclipses  of  the  Sun,  while  the  dark 
disc  of  the  Moon  screens  its  dazzling  brightness,  and 
leaves  visible  only  the  extreme  ring  of  light,  denoted  a 
corona.  Observers  have  described  this  corona  as  exhi- 
biting coruscations,  wildly  darting  otf  far  beyond  the 
extreme  edge  of  the  solar  disc,  flashing  thousands  of 
miles  in  tongues  of  flame.  Between  the  luminous  flash- 
ings over  the  surface  of  the  Sun,  at  times,  are  openings 
that  disclose  the  dark  portions  of  the  globe  beneath ; 
which  constitute  spots  on  the  Sun.  These  openings  are 
constantly  varying  with  a  rapidity  that  only  the  quick 
movements  of  the  electric  ether  will  explain.  There  are 
instances  in  which  solar  spots  of  50,000  miles  diameter 
are  formed  in  a  single  day ;  and  others  where  they  dis- 
appear as  suddenly.  The  brightest  parts  are  not  station- 
ary, but  fluctuate  like  electric  flashes.  It  is  also  found 
that  the  appearance  of  solar  spots  is  attended  with  ex- 
traordinary perturbations  of  compass  needles  all  over  the 
earth.  This  fact  shows  the  direct  relationship  and 
electro-magnetic  connection  between  the  solar  excitation 
and  the  electric  currents  continually  circulating  about 
the  earth,  which  control  the  movements  of  all  compass 
needles.  ......... 

"  The  great  central  orb  of  the  solar  system  serves  as  a 
centre  of  forces,  against  which  impinge  the  vibratory 
impulses  of  the  universal  electric  ether,  excited  by  the 
orbital   revolutions  of  the  planets.      From  this  central 


SOURCE   OF  HEAT.  ,  417 

point  of  reaction  the  vibrations  of  the  electric  ether,  con- 
tinually beating  against  it,  are  reflected  back  in  sunshine 
like  surges  from  a  rock  in  mid-ocean,  leaving  its  surface 
covered  with  sparkling  foam. 

"  If  a  few  small  magnets  revolved  around  the  axis  of  a 
magneto-electric  machine  suffice  to  illumine  more  than  a 
thousand  square  miles  of  dark  headlands  and  waters^ — 
reasoning  from  terrestrial  to  celestial  mechanics,  how 
indescribable  must  be  the  magnificence  of  that  Light- 
house in  the  heavens,  whose  beams  are  the  result  of  the 
combined  movements  of  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  vast  magnetic  planets  revolving  around  the  central 
orb  of  the  solar  system  ! 

"As  long  as  these  mighty  planets  continue  to  revolve, 
so  long  will  the  Sun  continue  to  shine.  The  question  of 
the  source  of  solar  light  and  heat  is,  therefore,  resolved 
simply  into  that  of  the  source  of  mutual  motive-power ; 
namely,  the  axial  rotation  and  orbital  revolution  of  the 
heavenly  bodies."  *  Such  is  the  theory  of  electric  exci- 
tation, which,  like  all  the  preceding,  has  its  weak  points 
and  unsolved  difficulties. 

From  the  number  and  diversity  of  the  theories  now 
reviewed  the  reader  must  see  how  difficult  and  formida- 
ble the  problem  of  the  origin  and  sustentation  of  the 
Sun's  light  and  heat  is,  and  how  it  has  thus  far  baffled 
all  the  science  of  man  to  solve  it  with  any  degree  of  cer- 
tainty. Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at  when  w^e  consider 
the  vast  distance  at  which  that  orb  is  situated  from  us,  and 
the  widely  diffi^rent  conditions  under  which  its  elements 
and  forces  affect  one  another,  from  anvthino;  with  •which 
we  are  familiar.  All  the  experiments  and  calculations 
that  have  been  made  w^ith  a  view  to  determine  these 
facts,  have  been  based  on  the  supposition  that  phj^sical 

*See  Dr.  Zachariah  Allen's  Solar  Light  and  Ileat,\>\).  12-54. 


418  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

causes  and  effects  observe  the  same  order  and  relation  in 
the  solar  orb  as  they  do  upon  our  own  globe.  But  it  is 
certain  that,  in  many  respects,  at  least,  they  do  not. 
The  force  of  its  gravitation,  the  intensity  of  its  heat,  the 
pressure  of  its  atmosphere,  and  the  velocity  of  its  ele- 
ments, infinitely  transcend  anything  known  in  our  world; 
and  these  may  affect  the  very  constitution  of  material 
substances,  as  well  as  their  mutual  relations,  in  a  manner 
and  to  a  degree  of  which  the  terrestrial  globe  affords  no 
example.  And  that  they  do  so,  the  revelations  of  the 
spectroscope  plainly  indicate.  That  instrument  offers 
conclusive  proof  that  metals  and  minerals  which  the 
scientist  can  volatilize  only  in  small  quantities  and  by 
special  contrivances,  are,  in  immeasurable  quantities,  re- 
duced by  the  intensity  of  the  Sun's  heat  into  vast  clouds 
of  glowing  vapors  over  its  surface.  So,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  immense  pressure  which  prevails  near  the 
solar  surface  may  be  adequate,  though  we  have  no  direct 
proof  of  the  fact,  to  convert  gases  into  liquids,  and  liquids 
into  solids.  And  again,  what  can  we  know  of  the  influ- 
ence of  its  overwhelming  velocities  ? — we  see  the  bullet 
melting  as  it  reaches  the  target,  and  the  meteor  ignited 
and  vaporized  as  it  passes  through  the  air ;  who,  then,  can 
estimate  the  effects  of  the  inconceivably  swifter  motions 
that  take  place  among  the  elements  of  the  Sun — of  the 
uprushing  of  flames  or  luminous  clouds  in  a  few  seconds 
to  the  height  of  fifty  thousand,  and  even  a  hundred  thou- 
sand miles — of  cyclones  sweeping  over  seas  of  molten 
minerals  and  liquefied  gases,  or  through  an  atmosphere 
of  metallic  vapors,  at  a  speed  of  seven  thousand  miles 
per  minute!  The  fact  is,  the  more  the  constitution  of 
the  Sun  has  been  studied,  and  the  more  that  has  been 
learned  respecting  the  physical  laws  by  which  its  phe- 
nomena are  to  be   interpreted,  the  more  numerous  and 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  4ig 

insuperable  are  the  difficulties  which  appear  to  surround 
it. 

This  is  the  conclusion  of  the  most  able  and  sober  minds. 
"The  facts  connected  with  the  solar  light  and  heat,"  says 
Professor  Tjndall,  "are  so  extraordinary,  that  the  sober- 
est hypothesis  regarding  them  must  appear  wild : " 
Proctor  also  speaks  to  the  same  effect ;  "  I  confess  that  I 
am  very  far  from  sharing  that  confidence  which  I  find 
some  men  possess  in  dealing  with  problems  of  solar  phys- 
ics. I  can  only  look  on  with  a  sense  of  bewildered 
admiration  while  the  professors  of  rival  theories  exhibit 
the  physical  habitudes  of  the  Sun  as  obviously  explica- 
ble according  to  contradictory  hypotheses.  It  seems  to 
me  that  only  a  very  energetical  forgetfulness  of  a  large 
portion  of  the  evidence  can  account  for  the  adoption  of 
any  of  these  theories."  And  our  American  astronomer, 
Professor  Young,  with  the  characteristic  modesty  of  a 
great  mind,  says,  "What  sustains  the  tremendous  solar 
heat,  I  cannot  answer." 

Thus  the  Sun,  while  it  is  a  "  great  light,"  is,  also,  a 
great  mystery.  And  in  these  baffled  efforts  of  the  most 
vigorous  human  intellects  to  interpret  its  unwasted 
energies  we  have  a  striking  comment  on  the  words  of 
holy  writ, — "  He  doeth  great  things  past  finding  out; 
yea,  and  wonders  without  number." 

Teachings. 

In  the  origin,  vastness,  and  perpetuity  of  the  Sun's 
heat,  bathing  the  world,  and  the  whole  system  of  worlds, 
with  the  elements  of  life,  energy,  and  happiness,  we  have 
the  most  apt  and  expressive  type  within  the  reach  of 
human  observation,  of  the  life-giving  beams  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness,  namely,  his  all-embracing  and  ever- 
enduring  love  to  man. 

26 


420  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

The  evidences  of  the  universal  presence  of  the  Sun's 
heat,  and  of  its  universal  beneficent  agency  in  air  and 
sea  and  land,  are  not  more  certain,  or  obvious,  or  won- 
derful, than  those  of  the  love  of  Christ  toward  our  fallen 
race;  nay,  the  latter  are  incomparably  greater  in  all 
these  respects.  Whether  we  contemplate  the  original 
incentive,  or  the  unchanging  nature,  or  the  unceasing 
exercise  of  that  love,  we  are  equally  astonished  and 
equally  unable  to  comprehend  or  account  for  it.  "  It 
passeth  all  understanding." 

The  love  of  Christ  knows  neither  beginning  nor  end. 
From  the  depths  and  solitudes  of  eternity  past,  when  no 
creative  fiat  had  gone  forth,  no  ray  of  light  had  pierced 
the  darkness,  no  orb  of  matter  had  accomplished  a  revo- 
lution in  the  voids  of  space — "  while  as  yet  he  had  not 
made  the  earth,  nor  the  fields,  nor  the  highest  part  of 
the  dust  of  the  world  " — by  anticipation  "  he  rejoiced  in 
the  habitable  parts  of  the  earth,  and  his  delight  was  with 
the  sons  of  men."  With  gladness  he  looked  forward  to 
the  period  when  Eden  should  bloom,  and  the  creature 
Man,  radiant  in  his  own  image,  should  take  possession 
of  its  delights,  and  offer  his  earliest  acts  of  devotion  at  his 
feet.  Yea,  as  he  foresaw  the  fall  of  that  highly-favored 
being,  and  the  consequent  degeneracy  of  all  his  race,  he 
resolved  to  remedy  the  evil,  and  to  take  advantage  of  it 
in  a  wav  which  should  accrue  to  the  infinite  ""ood  of  the 
very  creatures  who  introduced  the  evil,  and  redound  to 
the  glory  of  his  own  grace  and  love.  From  the  height 
of  his  sanctuary,  he  prospectively  beheld  Sinai,  from 
whence  his  law  should  be  proclaimed ;  and  Zion,  which 
should  be  crowned  with  his  temple;  and  Calvary,  which 
should  sustain  the  mystery  of  his  cross;  and  with  all 
that  the  justice  of  that  law  would  demand  for  its  trans- 
gression, all  that  the  sacrifices  of  that  temple  would  sym- 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  421 

bolize,  and  all  the  ignominy  and  suffering  which  that 
cross  held  forth,  clearly  before  his  view,  he  was  still 
of  one  mind  and  changed  not.  Yea,  he  looked  still  be- 
yond, and  saw  the  glorious  issue  of  all — saw  a  world  of 
dependent,  lost  and  ruined  beings  reclaimed,  saved  and 
sanctified  through  his  sacrifice ;  every  sin  forgiven,  every 
evil  remedied,  and  every  want  supplied ;  every  heart  a 
channel  through  which  a  fullness  of  delight  should  con- 
stantly stream,  and  every  soul  forever  enlarging  to  receive 
more  and  more  from  the  inexhaustible  ocean  of  his  felic- 
ity. And  with  this  glorious  consummation  set  before 
him,  for  the  joy  of  its  accomplishment,  he  exclaimed, 
"  Lo,  I  come ;  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  my  God  !  " 

And  when  ages  which  no  man  can  number  had  rolled 
away,  and  the  time  appointed  in  the  councils  of  the  Triune 
God  was  come,  still  moved  by  the  same  eternal  love — oh, 
amazing  thought! — to  accomplish  our  redemption,  he 
leaves  the  enjoyments  of  heaven,  forsakes  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  quits  the  region  of  everlasting  day,  and  de- 
scends to  this  lower  world,  and  in  a  way  surpassing  all 
thought  and  investigation  unites  himself  to  human  nature 
— so  unites  himself  as  to  become  literally  man,  and  to 
dwell  among  sinful  men  on  earth.  0  wondrous  humilia- 
tion !  For  him  whose  dwelling-place  from  all  eternity 
had  been  the  highest  and  holiest  heaven  of  glory — for 
him  who  was  the  Father's  well-beloved,  the  brightness 
of  his  glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  person,  who  re- 
ceived the  praises  and  homage  and  ministrations  of  angels 
— for  him  to  come  down  to  this  nether  world,  peopled  by 
a  race  sunk  in  ignorance  and  depravity,  deformed  by  vices 
and  crimes,  and  immersed  in  guilt  and  wretchedness — oh, 
stoop  of  ineffible  love  !  If  a  prince,  an  emperor  had  for- 
saken his  palace  for  a  hovel  to  rescue  a  slave ;  nay,  if 
Gabriel   from    benevolence    to  worms   had    forsaken  his 


422  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

throne,  and  taken  upon  him  their  crawling  form  to  save 
them  from  perishing,  it  would  have  been  an  event  un- 
worthy to  be  mentioned  beside  the  humiliation  of  the 
Son  of  God  for  the  redemption  of  sinners. 

Nor  ends  the  wonder  here ; — having  come  to  earth, 
again  he  chooses  the  humblest  condition  among  the 
humble  dwellers  of  his  footstool.  He  appropriates  none 
of  the  wealth,  assumes  none  of  the  titles  or  grandeur  of 
the  princes  of  this  world ;  but  takes  upon  him  the  form 
of  a  servant,  and  makes  himself  of  no  reputation.  His 
life  from  its  beginning  to  its  close  is  a  life  of  poverty  and 
toil.  Dispensing  benefits  and  blessings  to  others  which 
know  no  price  and  can  be  purchased  by  no  wealth,  him- 
self owns  neither  a  house  nor  a  tent  wherein  to  dwell. 
"The  foxes  have  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests, 
but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head." 
Destitution  and  tears  often  mark  his  weary  steps  as  he 
goes  about  doing  good.  His  divine  instructions  and  ben- 
eficent miracles  all  bring  him  but  ill  returns.  As  he 
journeys  from  Galilee  to  Judea,  as  he  dwells  at  Caper- 
naum, or  tarries  at  Jerusalem,  scarce  a  solitary  voice 
calls  him  blessed,  scarce  a  solitary  hand  is  stretched  out 
in  friendship,  scarce  a  solitary  roof  proffers  him  a  shelter. 
Yet,  nor  toil,  nor  poverty,  nor  cold  neglect  changes  or 
abates  the  love  that  glows  within  his  heart  for  the  erring 
and  sinful  creatures  he  came  down  to  redeem. 

Still  proceeding  in  his  career  of  self-sacrificing  love, 
withal  "  He  becomes  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted 
with  grief."  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men.  His 
actions  are  decried,  his  motives  are  misrepresented,  and 
his  character  is  maligned.  Because  he  is  holy  and  de- 
nounces all  evil,  the  workers  of  evil  conspire  against  him. 
He  is  falsely  accused,  he  is  proscribed  and  persecuted. 
To  accomplish  his  destruction,  the  very  forms  of  justice 


SOURCE  OF  BEAT.  433 

are  violated,  and  the  very  name  of  religion  prostituted, 
by  the  unrestrained  malice  and  revenge  of  his  enemies. 
Ingratitude,  injustice  and  hate  pierce  his  sacred  heart. 
Many  gracious  words,  and  many  good  works  has  he 
shown  to  them  from  his  Father ;  but  he  is  arraigned  as 
a  malefactor,  and  condemned  as  a  criminal,  while  his  very 
judge  is  forced  by  reason  and  conscience  to  cry  aloud,  "I 
find  no  fault  in  him."  He  is  derided  with  a  purple  robe 
and  a  mock  sceptre.  He  is  scourged  and  spitten  upOfi. 
He  is  made  to  take  the  vacated  place  of  a  murderer.  He 
is  ruthlessly  nailed  hand  and  foot  to  a  cross.  And  even 
there  he  is  taunted  and  reviled,  as  his  sacred  blood,  drop 
by  drop,  stains  the  accursed  tree  upon  which  he  hangs. 
He  lingers  there,  and  thirsts — he  cries  aloud — he  dies — 
and  oh,  what  a  death !  But  in  all,  and  through  all  this, 
he  is  unchanged,  unmoved  in  the  deep  love  of  his  heart, 
and  in  all  his  gracious  purposes  for  man  and  man's  salva- 
tion. His  last  and  expiring  breath  he  expends  in  prayer 
for  his  enemies  and  murderers, — "  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  0  Son  of  the  Living 
God,  was  there  ever  love  like  thine ! 

If  in  the  perpetual  and  abounding  flow  of  light  and 
heat  from  the  Sun  of  nature  we  find  a  mystery  which 
baffles  all  the  science  of  man — in  the  full,  irrepressible, 
and  eternal  flow  of  love  from  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
we  see  a  mystery  a  thousandfold  greater,  and  a  thousand 
times  transcending  the  imagination  of  men  and  of  angels. 
In  the  scene  of  Calvary  everything  fills  us  with  amaze- 
ment. Everything  here  is  superhuman.  We  behold  in 
the  Sufferer,  hanging  upon  that  cross,  a  Being  spotless  in 
life,  pure  in  spirit,  gentle  in  speech,  compassionate  in 
heart,  most  benevolent  toward  man,  most  devout  toward 
God,  most  beloved  of  heaven ;  and  yet  the  victim  of  the 
grossest  injustice,  and  of  the  most  relentless  and  diabolical 


424  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

cruelty.  0  horrid  and  atrocious  crime !  Why  roused 
not  the  very  elements  of  nature  to  avenge  him  of  his 
adversaries  ?  Why  flashed  not  some  stream  of  lightning 
from  the  clouds  to  consume  those  crucifiers  of  the  ador- 
able Son  of  God  ?  Why  went  there  not  forth  some  de- 
stroying angel  in  that  unnatural  night,  as  through  the 
hosts  of  Sennacherib,  to  smite  those  murderers  ?  Or  why 
descended  not  a  legion  of  angels  to  loosen  him  from  the 
accursed  tree,  and  bear  him  in  their  arms  back  to  the 
bosom  of  the  Father?  Why?  Why?  Because  the  Suf- 
ferer's own  love  held  them  all  back.  "I  came  not  to 
destroy  men's  lives,  but  to  save.  I  am  the  Good  Shep- 
herd; I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep.  For  this  end 
came  I  into  the  world."  0  yes,  it  was  not  the  iron  spikes, 
nor  the  Roman  spears,  but  his  own  love  that  fastened 
and  detained  him  to  the  end  upon  that  cross.  It  was  the 
most  free,  sovereign,  boundless  benevolence  of  his  own 
heart  that  led  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory  thus  to  die  for 
men. 

But  what  awakened  such  unquenchable  Jove  in  his 
bosom  ?  What  sustained  and  fostered  that  love  through 
all  his  unparalleled  trials  and  provocations,  through  all 
his  mortal  and  untold  sufferings,  even  unto  death  ?  If 
every  theory  advanced  by  the  science  of  man  to  account 
for  the  unwasted  and  unwasting  energies  of  the  Sun  of 
nature  has  failed,  much  more  will  every  theory  conceiv- 
able to  created  minds,  human  or  angelic,  fail  to  assign  a 
reason  external  of  his  own  ineffable  nature,  for  the  undy- 
ing love  of  the  Son  of  God.  To  what  that  is  conceivable 
can  we  ascribe  it?  The  fallen  and  depraved  creatures 
whom  he  came  to  redeem  did  not  deserve  that  he 
should  have  thus  become  the  subject  of  toil  and  penury, 
sorrow  and  shame,  sufferings  and  death,  in  order  to  save 
them.     They  had  no  claims  that  they  could  urge,  no 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  425 

rights  or  merits  that  they  could  plead.     They  were  sinners, 
they  were    enemies,  they  were   righteously  condemned. 
Their  desert  was  his  judicial  displeasure,  and  everlasting 
banishment  from  the  presence  of  his  glory.     Nor  did  he 
thus  undertake  on  their  behalf  for  any  reward  that  they 
could  make  in  return;  for  they  had  nothing  to  give  or  to 
offer  but  what  was  already  his  own.     To  him,  by  creation, 
belonged  all  the  fruits  of  the  field,  all  the  treasures  of 
the  mountains,  and  all  the  pearls  of  the  deep — yea,  the 
earth  and  the  fulness  thereof.      Nor  was  he  moved  to 
do  this  great  thing  by  the  urgency  of  their  entreaties  ;  no, 
they  did  not  request,  they  did  not  desire  him  to  do  it. 
Fallen  and  benighted,  they  were  too  ignorant  to  know 
their  own    happiness,  and    too  depraved    to    appreciate 
what  was  done  for  them.     Nor  did  he  interpose  for  their 
rescue  because  he  needed  their  service  or  their  worship; 
for,  without  sorrow  or  suffering,  and  by  one  word,  one 
volition,  he  could  have  created  ten  thousand  worlds,  all 
teeming  with  holy  and  happy  beings,  ever  ready  to  obey 
the  slightest  intimation  of  his  will.     Nor,  finally,  did  he 
purchase  their  redemption  at  so  inestimable  a  price,  be- 
cause their  preservation  was  indispensable  to  his  happiness, 
or  essential  to  his  glory ;  oh,  no;  for  had  they  all,  and 
with  them  the  earth  upon  which  they  dwelt,  sunk  into 
everlasting  nothingness  and  oblivion,  it  would  not  have 
taken  one  ray  from  the  effulgence  of  his  glory,  nor  one 
drop  from  the  ocean  of  his  felicity.     To  what  then  shall 
we  trace  or  ascribe  the  unparalleled  love  of  Christ  in  the 
redemption  of  our  race  ?     To  nothing,   to  nothing,  but 
what   he   is  in  himself — to    nothing  but  the    boundless 
benignity,   mercy,   and    generosity  of   his    Divine    Na- 
ture, welling  up  from  the  infinite  depths  of  his  Being, 
and  gushing  forth  in  resistless  energy,  as  displayed  in 
the   benevolence    of  his  ministry,   in  the    struggles  of 


426  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

his  bloody  sweat,  and  in  all  the  patient  endurance  of  the 
insults  and  agony  of  his  cross.  All  that  he  said,  or  did, 
or  suffered,  was  but  a  manifestation  of  what  he  was  in 
himself — of  the  rectitude,  purity,  and  truth,  and  above 
all,  of  the  love  that  ruled  and  reigned  eternal  in  his 
breast.  God  is  love.  This  is  the  essence  of  his  char- 
acter. 


ANALOGY  III. 

As  the  Sun''s  warm  beams  are  the  origin  of  all  energy  and  motion  in  the 
material  world — so  the  Sun  of  Itighteousness  is  the  origin  of  all  spirit- 
%uil  life  and  activity  in  the  moral  world. 

Phenomena. 

The  Centennial  Exhibition,  at  Philadelphia,  in  1876, 
was  an  event  of  profound  interest  to  every  American,  not 
only  for  its  intrinsic  importance,  but  also  by  reason  of  its 
historic  associations.  Its  interest  and  importance,  how- 
ever, were  not  confined  to  our  own  nation,  but  extended  to 
the  whole  civilized  world.  It  was  a  concentration  of  the 
most  valuable  productions  both  of  the  practical  science 
and  mechanic  skill  of  all  the  foremost  nations  of  the 
globe.  It  w^as  a  world's  display  for  the  world's  benefit. 
When  the  visitor,  from  whatever  quarter  of  the  globe  he 
might  have  come,  entered  the  building  called  "  Machinery 
Hall,"  for  example,  there  lay  before  him  such  a  number 
and  variety  of  tools  and  instruments,  machines  and  en- 
gines, for  all  the  purposes  of  civilized  life,  as  probably 
had  never  before  been  brought  together  into  one  place. 
And  all  these  he  could  see  in  actual  operation  from  day 
to  day.  And  whether  he  looked  to  the  north  or  to  the 
south,  to  the  east  or  to  the  west,  along  those  broad  and 


SOURCE  OF   HEAT.  427 

extended  avenues,  or  along  the  narrower  aisles,  nearly 
every  object  upon  which  his  eye  rested  seemed  to  be  in 
activity  as  a  thing  of  life.  And  more  marvellous  opera- 
tions, or  a  greater  diversity  of  movements,  the  imagina- 
tion itself  could  hardly  picture.  There  were  wheels,  and 
shafts,  and  cylinders,  revolving  in  every  possible  direc- 
tion and  at  every  degree  of  speed ;  pistons  advancing  and 
retreating;  springs  bending  and  unbending;  spindles 
whirring  and  drawing  out  their  cotton  and  silken  threads; 
shuttles  darting  and  weaving  divers  fabrics ;  sewing 
machines  stitching;  hammers  striking;  drills  boring; 
lathes  turning;  lettered  types  leaping  into  place,  and 
spelling  words,  and  forming  sentences  ;  presses  with  iron 
fingers  drawing  in  sheets  of  paper,  printing  them,  and 
then  orderly  laying  them  away ;  the  air  fanned  into 
gentle  breezes  among  the  crowd,  or  rushing  impetuously 
through  ventilating  tunnels;  water  flowing  along  in 
open  conduits,  rising  in  upright  pipes,  falling  again  in 
showers  or  leaping  in  a  cascade  to  form  a  lake  below, 
and  all  this  to  pass  through  the  same  round  again.  So 
diverse,  and  often  so  opposite  or  contrary  were  the  move- 
ments that  were  going  on,  that  one  would  have  thought 
that  each  must  have  been  produced  by  a  separate  and 
special  force.  But  no;  that  whole  assemblage  of  machines 
filling  the  vast  edifice,  and  performing  so  many  different 
operations,  were  impelled  and  kept  in  motion  by  one 
power  proceeding  from  one  source — and  that  was  the 
far-famed  "  Corliss  Engine,"  situated  in  the  centre. 
When  this  stopped  all  stopped,  and  there  was  a  great 
silence ;  and  when  this  moved,  all  moved  with  it,  and 
there  was  again  a  general  whirr  and  rattle  all  around. 
Every  movement  and  operation  was  dependent  upon 
that  one  central  power. 

Now,  what  this  great  engine  was   to   Machinery  Hall, 


428  'fHE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

that  (and  much  more)  the  Sun  is  to  the  world  in  which 
we  dwell.  The  solar  orb  is  the  origin  of  all  the  move- 
ments and  activities  observable  in  every  province  and 
department  of  nature.  But  for  the  energies  imparted  by 
the  Sun,  the  earth  would  be  a  world,  not  only  without 
life,  but  without  a  movement  or  a  sound  among  all  its 
elements, — a  world  dark,  still,  and  silent  as  the  grave. 

All  the  currents  and  commotions  that  take  place  in 
the  AtmospJiere  are  produced  by  the  Sun's  heat.  Tlie 
heat  of  the  sunrays,  being  reflected  from  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  expands  and  changes  the  density  of  the  over- 
lying air,  that  is,  renders  it  lighter,  and  which,  in  conse- 
quence ascends,  while  the  colder  and  heavier  air  rushes 
in  to  fill  its  place.  And  these  motions  in  the  atmosphere 
are  our  Winds.  All  this  may  be  made  plain  by  a  simple 
experiment.  Let  the  door  between  a  cold  and  a  heated 
room  be  thrown  open,  and  let  a  lighted  candle  be  held 
in  it.  Near  the  floor  the  flame  is  strongly  carried  toward 
the  warm  room  by  the  inrushing  current  of  cold  air;  but 
near  the  top  of  the  door  it  is  just  as  strongly  driven 
towards  the  cold  room  by  the  outgoing  current  of  hot  air. 
Here  we  have  two  currents,  or  winds,  sliding  over  each 
other,  and  moving  in  opposite  directions.  Precisely 
similar  are  the  effects  produced  by  the  Sun's  heat  in  the 
atmosphere  at  large. 

What  occurs  between  the  two  rooms  takes  place  on  a 
grand  scale  between  the  equatorial  regions  of  the  globe 
and  those  of  the  poles.  Here  the  polar  region  corresponds 
to  the  cold  room,  and  the  equatorial  to  the  heated  room. 
The  air  around  the  poles,  being  cold  and  heavy,  flows 
along  the  earth's  surface  toward  the  equator;  and  having 
reached  the  torrid  zone,  it  becomes  heated  and  ascends 
to  the  higher  elevations  of  the  atmosphere,  where  it  flows 
back  over  the  colder  air  towards  either  pole,  to  begin 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  429 

again  the  same  round.  Thus  two  lower  currents  from 
the  poles  to  the  equator,  and  two  superior  currents  from 
the  equator  to  the  poles  are  perpetually  maintained  by 
the  Sun's  heat.  From  these  currents  result  the  famous 
Trade  Winds,  which  on  either  side  of  the  equator  blow 
regularly  in  one  direction  the  year  round.  In  the  same 
manner  are  produced  the  Monsoons  of  the  Indian  ocean, 
the  Sea  and  Land  Breezes  along  the  coasts  of  continents 
and  islands,  and  in  short  all  the  local  winds  of  the  globe. 
All  other  atmospheric  commotions — Tornadoes,  Cyclones, 
and  even  those  disturbances  in  the  electric  equilibrium 
of  the  air  which  give  rise  to  the  phenomena  of  thunder 
and  lightning — are  to  be  traced  to  the  Sun's  rays  as  their 
ultimate  cause. 

The  Sun's  heat,  likewise,  produces  all  the  movements 
that  prevail  in  the  Ocean,  the  tides  excepted.  The 
waters  of  the  sea  are  perpetually  agitated  in  several 
ways,  and  in  various  directions ;  but  the  moving  power 
that  effects  all  is  the  solar  influence.  Heated  by  the 
Sun,  vast  quantities  of  vapor  arise  from  its  surface ;  but 
in  all  this  not  a  particle  of  the  salt  it  contains  ascends. 
Hence  in  the  intertropical  regions,  the  great  amount  of 
evaporation  which  takes  place  leaves  behind  it  a  large 
amount  of  salt,  which  renders  the  water  still  saltier, 
and,  consequently,  heavier.  In  the  polar  region,  on  the 
contrary,  the  slowness  of  evaporation,  together  with 
melting  snows  and  glaciers,  contributes  to  keep  the  ocean 
waters  fresh  and  light.  Hence  results  a  perpetual  circu- 
lation in  the  sea,  as  in  the  atmosphere — the  salt  and 
heavy  waters  of  the  equatorial  region  sink  and  flow  along 
the  bottom  towards  the  poles  to  displace  their  lighter 
find  fresher  waters,  while  these  in  consequence  are  forced 
into  a  contrary  current  along  the  surface  towards  the 
equator,  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  which  the   dense  water 


430  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

leaves  behind.  In  this  way  there  is  maintained  in  the 
great  oceans  of  the  globe  a  perpetual  circulation  from  the 
equator  to  the  poles,  and  from  the  poles  to  the  equator ; 
and  thus  every  drop  of  the  ocean,  down  to  its  greatest 
depths,  is  kept  in  constant  motion  and  exchange  by  the 
Sun's  heat.  In  a  similar  way,  viz.,  by  unequally  heat- 
ing different  portions,  the  Sun's  rays  create  and  perpetuate 
various  distinct  currents  and  streams  in  all  the  oceans 
of  the  globe,  of  which  the  Gulf  Stream  in  the  Atlantic, 
and  Humboldt  Stream  in  the  Pacific,  are  notable  exam- 
ples. To  all  this  we  may  add  that,  by  being  the  imme- 
diate cause  of  all  winds  and  hurricanes,  the  Sun's  heat 
becomes  the  moving  power  that  raises  every  wave  that 
ruffles  the  ocean's  surface,  and  that  hurls  every^  billow 
which  breaks  upon  its  thousand  sinuous  shores. 

Again :  To  the  Sun's  heat  are  to  be  ascribed  the  per- 
petual flow  of  all  the  Rivers,  Springs  and  Foimtains  of 
the  globe.  These  could  have  no  existence  but  for  the 
untiring  agency  of  the  solar  orb.  It  is  his  warm  beams 
that  raise  from  the  ocean  the  vapors  which  form  the 
clouds,  and  that  set  in  motion  the  winds  which  carry 
those  clouds  from  the  distance  of  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  miles  to  distil  their  precious  contents  over  plains  and 
mountain  heights,  and  thus  supply  the  water  that  flows 
together  to  form  streams,  and  percolates  through  the  soil 
and  rocks  to  produce  the  springs  that  flow  perpetual 
from  the  mountain  sides.  The  Sun  is  the  moving  power, 
the  warm  heart,  that  keeps  in  circulation  all  the  fluids 
of  the  earth.  If  he  were  to  suspend  his  energies,  every 
river  would  speedily  vanish  from  its  channel,  every 
lake  leave  its  basin  dry,  and  every  spring  cease  its  flow. 
But  for  the  solar  heat,  not  a  cloud  would  ever  fly  across 
our  skies,  not  a  shower  would  ever  descend  upon  the 
land,  not  a  rivulet  would  ever  murmur  among  the  hills. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  431 

All  the  water  of  the  globe  would  be  collected  into  the 
seas,  and  there  would  remain  as  vast  and  stagnant 
pools. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Sun  is  the  motive  power  which 
keeps  in  play  all  the  great  elements  of  our  world.  It  is, 
moreover,  the  vital  force  that  sustains  all  that  live,  or 
move,  or  grow  upon  its  surface. 

All  Vegetation  is  the  product  of  the  Sun's  energy.  It 
was  under  his  potent  and  varied  influences  that  the  soil 
was  formed  and  fitted  to  bear  vegetation ;  and  it  is  by 
his  vivifying  action  that  it  is  enabled  to  draw  its  support 
from  inorganic  matter.  It  is  the  chemical  force  resident 
in  his  rays  that  imparts  to  the  leaves  of  trees  and  plants 
and  vegetables  their  power  to  give  out  their  oxygen,  and 
to  draw  from  the  atmosphere  the  carbon  which  is  to  build 
up  their  woody  fibres.  In  short,  it  is  by  his  energies 
that  the  whole  process  of  germination,  growth,  and  fruit- 
bearing  is  carried  on.  It  is  the  power  of  the  Sun,  there- 
fore, that  annually  clothes  the  fields  with  their  verdure, 
and  enrobes  the  forests  in  their  foliage.  And  this  brings 
us  to  another  interesting  fact: 

All  Animal  Life  and  Strength  are  sustained  by  the 
Sun.  Herbivorous  animals  feed  upon  and  acquire  their 
strength  from  vegetables ;  but  vegetables  are  the  produc- 
tions of  the  Sun ;  therefore  such  animals  derive  their 
strength  from  the  Sun's  power.  Carnivorous  animals  do 
the  same,  only  by  an  intermediate  step.  And  all  animals 
grow  strong  or  weak  according  as  they  are  well  or  ill 
supplied  with  these  transmuted  energies  of  the  solar  orb. 
The  same  is  true  of  Man  himself.  In  order  to  health 
and  strength,  he  must  eat,  and  does  eat;  and  all  his  food, 
like  that  of  the  inferior  animals,  is  originally  derived 
from  the  energy  of  the  Sun.  In  his  case,  there  has  been 
a  transmutation  of  the  energy  of  the  Sun's  rays  into  the 


432  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

substance  of  plants,  and  from  the  plants  into  the  sub- 
stance of  the  sheep  and  ox,  and  from  the  sheep  and  ox 
upon  which  he  has  fed  into  his  own  frame ;  and  thus  all 
his  energy,  as  is  obvious,  is  ultimately  due  to  the  Sun's 
rays.  The  heat  of  our  blood,  the  motion  of  our  hearts, 
and  the  capacity  for  work  in  our  limbs — all  represent 
energy  which  originally  streamed  from  the  Sun.  Hence 
it  may  be  said,  not  simply  in  a  poetic  sense,  but  in  a 
material  sense,  that  we  are  "  the  children  of  the  Sun." 

Once  more:  All  the  Machines  and  Engines  contrived  by 
man  are  driven  by  the  energies  of  the  Sun.  Wind,  water, 
or  steam  may  be  the  immediate  agencies  employed,  but 
all  these  apart  from  the  Sun  could  have  no  power  at 
all ;  whatever  force  they  possess  or  exert  has  been  de- 
rived from  him.  Ships  cleave  the  waters  and  perpetually 
cross  the  Atlantic,  some  going  East  and  some  coming 
West,  but  it  is  the  Sun  that  propels  them  all,  for  it  is 
his  heat  that  raises  the  wind  that  fills  every  sail.  The 
stream  flowing  from  the  mountain  heights  is  directed  to 
accomplish  various  mechanical  purposes — to  turn  wheels, 
lift  hammers,  grind  wheat,  spin  cotton,  saw  timber,  etc. 
But  all  the  power  which  that  stream  exhibits  in  these 
operations  originates  not  in  itself,  but  has  been  acquired 
at  the  expense  of  the  Sun,  whose  energies  lifted  it  from 
the  deep  to  those  elevations  from  whence  it  descends. 
All  that  the  stream  does  is  simply  imparting  to  the  ma- 
chines on  its  banks  the  force  which  it  has  derived  from 
the  Sun.  Again,  the  Steara-Engine  drives  the  machinery 
of  the  huge  factory  through  the  year,  draws  the  ponderous 
train  across  the  continent,  and  propels  the  magnificent 
ship  around  the  globe ;  but  all  the  power  that  engine  pos- 
sesses has  been  acquired  from  the  Sun,  for  the  steam 
that  moves  its  iron  arms  is  generated  by  the  transmuted 
energies  of  that   orb;   that  is,  by  wood  from  the  living 


SOURCE    OF    HEAT.  433 

forest,  or  wood  of  primeval  growth  laid  up  unnumbered 
ages  since  in  the  form  of  coal.  Unsupplied  with  these 
products  of  solar  energy  the  steam-engine  would  be  a 
powerless  and  useless  thing. 

Such  is  the  dependence  of  our  world  upon  the  great  orb 
of  day.  Every  motion,  every  manifestation  of  power  in 
sea  or  land  or  air,  organic  or  inorganic,  mechanical  or 
purely  physical,  has  its  origin  in  the  Sun.  The  winds 
and  the  waves,  the  rain  and  the  dew,  the  flowing  streams 
and  the  bubbling  fountains,  are  all  the  products  of  his 
strength.  From  him  come  the  energies,  that  cover  our 
plains  and  valleys  with  corn,  that  clothe  our  mountains 
with  forests,  and  that  waft  our  commerce  over  the  dis- 
tant seas.  From  him  originally  came  the  power  which 
the  fire  has  to  warm  and  the  lamp  to  enlighten  our 
dwellings.  It  is  the  Sun  that  weaves  our  garments  and 
prepares  our  daily  food.  It  is  the  Sun  that  renews  our 
strength  from  day  to  day,  and  that  keeps  in  activity  our 
hearts  and  lungs  from  hour  to  hour.  If  we  take  a  step, 
if  we  lift  an  arm,  if  we  write  our  name,  the  power  to  do 
so  has  been  derived  from  the  Sun.  If  the  breeze  fans 
our  languid  cheek,  or  the  cup  of  cold  water  moistens  our 
fevered  lips,  we  owe  the  comfort  to  the  energies  which  he 
has  put  forth. 

But  in  speaking  thus  of  the  Sun,  let  not  the  reader 
suppose  that  we  ascribe  to  the  creature  what  belongs  to 
the  Creator.  Our  meaning  is,  that  the  Sun  is  the  instru- 
mental, not  the  efficient,  cause  of  all  this.  The  Sun  is 
but  the  means  or  instrument  which  the  All-wise  and 
Omnipotent  God  has  contrived  and  empowered  to  effect 
all  the  operations  now  described  upon  our  globe.  What- 
ever energies  the  Sun  may  possess  or  exert,  all  have  been 
bestowed  and  all  are  sustained  by  Him,  the  sole  and 
original  source  of  all  power.     All  the  activity  of  material 


434  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

nature,  from  its  minutest  to  its  grandest  departments,  is 
nothing  else  than  the  activity  of  the  Great  Supreme. 
The  power  evinced  is  his  power,  and  the  order  pursued 
is  but  the  direction  of  his  wisdom.  This  is  the  plain 
declaration  of  Holy  Writ;  and  with  it  agrees  that  of 
modern  science,  whose  recent  and  most  sublime  deduction 
is,  that  all  physical  powers  are  but  different  phases  of 
one  and  the  same  power,  and  that  that  one  power  is  the 
Will-power  of  the  Almighty,  "  who  worketh  all  in  all." 
Well,  therefore,  may  it  now  be  asked, 

"Who  dares  His  name  profane, 

Or  belief  in  Him  disclaim, 
Veiled  in  mystery  though  He  be,  the  All-enfolder? 

Gleams  across  the  mind  His  light, 

Feels  the  lifted  soul  His  might, 
Dare  it  then  deny  His  reign,  the  All-upholder?" 

Teachings. 

Now,  as  the  Sun  of  nature  is  the  cause  of  all  the  mo- 
tion and  activity  displayed  in  the  material  world,  so  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  is  the  origin  of  all  the  spiritual  life 
and  energy  witnessed  in  the  moral  world.  What  the  solar 
globe  by  its  vivifying  rays  is  in  the  realm  of  matter,  that 
(and  infinitely  more)  is  Christ  by  his  quickening  Spirit 
in  the  realm  of  mind.  He  is  the  Author,  and  Sustainer, 
and  Saviour  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh. 

As  our  planet  deprived  of  the  Sun's  raj^s  would  become, 
and  would  remain  a  lifeless  ball,  with  all  its  great  ele- 
ments motionless  and  stagnant;  so  the  human  race,  denied 
the  life-giving  power  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  would 
have  been  and  would  have  continued,  spiritually,  a  life- 
less and  dead  race.  By  departing  from  God  mankind  be- 
came dead — dead  in  law,  and  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins. 
Moved  by  infinite  compassion  and  love,  to  restore  them 
to  life,  he  came  into  our  world — came  that  he  might  re- 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  435 

deem  tliem  from  the  condemnation  of  the  law  by  the 
otFering  of  himself  a  sacrifice  in  atonement  for  tkeir  sins, 
and  to  quicken  them  to  spiritual  life  by  the  free  gift  of 
his  Holy  Spirit.  And  thus  he  is  become  the  Divine  and 
Glorious  Orb  from  whom  flow  all  light  and  life  to  be- 
nighted and  lost  humanity.  He  is  the  original  source  of 
all  spiritual  energy.  Apart  from  him  there  exists  not  a 
throb  or  pulsation  of  true  spiritual  life  in  any  human 
bosom.  All  spiritual  activity,  all  spiritual  aspirations 
seen  or  known  among  men  have  their  origin  in  him.  He 
is  the  life  of  the  world. 

Christ  is  the  origin  of  spiritual  life  in  every  individual 
soul.  As  the  first  impulse  of  germination  and  growth  in 
the  seed  sown  is  due  to  solar  influence,  so  the  first  mo- 
tion of  the  seed  of  truth  deposited  in  the  heart  is  due  to 
the  energies  of  the  Divine  Orb  of  Righteousness.  It  is 
the  play  of  his  gracious  beams,  so  to  speak,  that  produces 
the  first  faint  indication  of  quickening  within  him.  It  is 
he  that  infuses  and  fosters  the  principle  of  the  new  life; 
so  that  presently  he  feels  himself  actuated  by  new  in- 
stincts and  new  appetites.  The  sacred  rays  still  descend- 
ing upon  his  soul,  the  pulse  of  holy  passions  begins  to 
beat  toward  spiritual  objects ;  the  vital  warmth  of  love 
spreads  itself  through  his  whole  frame ;  he  breathes  out 
his  desires  and  prayers  before  God ;  like  a  new-born  in- 
fant he  begins  to  cry  after  him,  and  in  time  learns  to 
lisp  his  name  with  filial  endearment,  saying,  Abba, 
Father.  He  hungers  and  thirsts  after  rightedfesness ; 
and  as  every  kind  of  life  must  have  its  proper  nourish- 
ment, so  his  spiritual  life  feeds  on  Christ,  the  living 
bread,  and  the  sincere  milk  of  the  words  of  Christ.  He 
now  feels  himself  possessed  of  new  sensibilities ;  divine 
things  make  deep  and  tender  impressions  on  his  heart ; 

the  great  realities  of  religion  and  eternity  afiect  him  in 
27 


436  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

a  manner  unknown  before.  Moreover,  he  finds  his  soul 
actuated  with  new  vigor  and  earnestness  in  the  service 
of  God,  and  in  all  the  duties  he  owes  to  his  fellow-creat- 
ures. Such  is  the  regenerative  process  carried  on  and 
accomplished  under  the  influence  of  the  benign  beams  of 
the  Sun  of  Kighteousness. 

Again :  Christ  is  the  life  of  the  Glmrcli,  as  a  social 
body.  He  is  the  Head,  in  whom  all  are  united.  He  is 
the  living  bond  that  holds  all  her  members  in  union  and 
communion  with  one  another.  And  he  is  the  warm  and 
living  Heart  of  that  body,  from  which  flows  the  vital 
fluid  that  maintains  its  life,  its  activity,  aye,  and  its 
very  existence.  Add  to  all  this,  that  to  his  gracious  in- 
fluences all  the  active  piety,  all  the  good  works  of  the 
church  are  to  be  ascribed.  As  the  streams  and  springs 
which  flow  from  the  elevations  of  the  earth  to  refresh 
and  fructify  the  plains  below  are  all  due  to  the  Sun, 
which  supplies  the  rain  that  forms  them ;  so  all  the 
streams  and  rills  of  charity  and  beneficence  that  flow 
from  the  heights  of  Zion  to  benefit  and  bless  the  world 
are  due  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  who  showers  down 
his  grace  thereon.  He  it  is  that  softens  the  heart  to 
tenderness  and  pity ;  that  moves  the  hand  into  acts  of 
kindness,  and  the  mind  into  deeds  of  generosity ;  and 
that  inspires  the  soul  to  pursue  a  course  of  disinterested 
benevolence  towards  friends  and  foes.  It  is  he  that 
worketh  in  all  both  to  will  and  to  do  these  thino-s.  And 
to  his  «Slessing  are  to  be  traced  whatever  measures  of  suc- 
cess may  attend  them. 

All  spiritual  good  accomplished  in  the  world  is  due  to 
the  all-pervading  influence  of  the  Sun  of  Eightcousness. 
If  the  waters  are  moved  for  the  healing  of  spiritual  im- 
potents,  it  is  through  his  power.  If  the  breath  of  life 
passes  over  the  valley  of  dry  bones,  so  that  sinews  and 


SOUECE  OF  HEAT.  437 

flesh  come  upon  them,  and  skin  covers  them,  and  life 
returns,  and  they  stand  up  a  great  arm}*;  it  is  he  that 
breathes  and  doeth  all  this.  If  the  streams  of  the  River 
of  Grace  make  glad  the  city  of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  Most  High,  it  is  he  that  creates  and 
perpetuates  its  flow.  If  our  spiritual  machinery  erected 
on  the  banks  of  that  river — our  Bible,  and  Educational, 
and  Missionary  Societies — are  kept  in  successful  opera- 
tion, he  is  the  ultimate  power  that  impels  them  all.  If 
the  tropical  regions  of  the  Gospel  send  forth  perpetual  cur- 
rents of  their  warm  and  vitalizing  air  toward  the  dark 
and  cold  polar  regions  of  heathenism,  it  is  through  the 
energy  of  his  Spirit  moving  upon  the  hearts  of  his  people. 
If  the  Christian  derives  strength  or  comfort  from  a  good 
book,  or  from  the  pulpit,  that  strength  or  comfort  he 
owes  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  from  whom  it  was  first 
transferred  into  the  holy  scriptures,  and  then  by  his 
Spirit  from  the  scriptures  into  the  mind  of  the  writer  or 
preacher,  and  finally  from  him  into  his  own  soul.  All 
power  and  all  disposition  for  spiritual  good  are  but  the 
transmuted  energies  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the 
original  Fountain  of  all  good. 


ANALOGY   IV. 

As  the  (Sun's  marm  rays,  though  adapted  and  designed  to  minister  to  the 
welfare  of  the  whole  living  world,  yet  sometimes  create  storms  and 
whirlwinds  that  spread  destruction  far  and  wide, — so  the  divine  teach- 
ings of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  though  designed  and  fitted  to  promote 
and  secure  the  best  interests  of  the  whole  human  race,  yet  sometimes  ex- 
cite hatred  and  persecution  that  spread  and  devastate  whole  kirigdoms.  • 

Phenomena. 
That  the  Sun  is  constituted  and  designed  to  minister 
to  the  general  welfare  of  our  world — that  its  energies 


438 


THE    CELESTIAL  SYMBOL, 


are  m  daily  and  hourly  operation,  and  that  in  a  thou- 
sand different  ways,  for  the  well-being  of  all  the  plants 
and  animals  which  occupy  its  seas  and  lands — that  it  is 
the  source  of  light,  and  life,  and  health,  and  happiness  to 
all  human  beings  dwelling  upon  its  surface — must  be 
sufficiently  obvious  to  the  reader  from  the  numerous  and 
diversified  facts  stated  and  illustrated  throughout  the 
whole  of  the  foregoing  part  of  this  work.  The  Sun  is 
the  common,  impartial,  and  abiding  benefactor  of  the 
whole  world.  Yet,  owing  to  certain  contingencies  in 
terrestrial  elements  or  localities,  its  rays,  at  times,  become 
the  occasion  of  more  or  less  extended  calamities  and 
evils,  wrought  for  the  most  part  by  the  commotions 
which  they  produce  in  our  atmosphere. 

The  Sun's  heat,  as  explained  in  the  preceding  Analogy, 
is  the  moving  cause  of  all  atmospheric  currents  or  winds. 
The  speed  of  these,  however,  is  often  greatly  affected  by 
the  presence  or  absence  of  vapor  in  the  atmosphere,  by 
tlie  influence  of  electricity,  and  by  the  conformations  of 
localities  on  the  earth's  surface.  Mountain  ranges,  ex- 
tensive plains,  and  warm  streams  in  the  ocean,  have  a 
pow^erful  influence  upon  the  winds. 

The  force  of  winds,  of  course,  is  determined  by  their 
velocity.  The  annexed  Table  exhibits  the  amount  of 
force  exerted  by  winds,  travelling  at  different  rates,  on  a 
surface  standing  perpendicularly  to  the  line  of  their  di- 
rection. 


Common  Names  of  the  Winds. 

Velocity  in  Miles 
per  Hour. 

Force  in  Pounds 
per  Squat  e  Foot. 

Zephyr,  hardly  felt 

Breeze,  perceptible 

Fresh  Breeze 

Pleasant  Gale 

Brisk.  Gale 

High  Winds 

Very  High  Winds    ...... 

Hurricane 

Violent  Hurricane 

1 

3 

5 

15 

25 

35 

45 

60 

100 

0.005 
0.044 
0.123 
1.107 
3.075 
6.027 
9.963 
17.715 
49.200 

SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  -  439 

From  the  above  figures,  it  will  be  seen  at  once,  what  a 
tremendous  force  a  high  wind  exerts  upon  an  expanded 
tree,  or  a  large  building,  or  upon  the  outspread  sails  of  a 
vessel,  presenting  an  opposing  surface  of  many  thousands 
of  square  feet  to  its  furious  career.  Nor,  when  we  duly 
consider  this  fact,  need  we  be  surprised  at  the  destruc- 
tion often  wrought  on  sea  and  land  by  violent  tempests. 
In  the  great  storm,  which  occurred  in  England,  on  the 
27th  of  December,  1703,  the  extraordinary  power  of  the 
wind  created  a  noise  hoarse  and  dreadful,  like  thunder, 
which  appalled  every  heart.  Horror  and  confusion  seized 
upon  all,  whether  on  land  or  at  sea.  By  the  fall  of 
dwellings  123  persons  were  killed,  among  whom  were 
the  bishop  of  Bath  and  his  wife,  who  perished  amid  the 
ruins  of  the  Episcopal  palace.  In  the  rivers  Severn  and 
Thames  no  less  than  8,000  persons  lost  their  lives.  On 
the  coast  many  ships  were  blown  away,  and  never  heard 
of  afterwards.  Orchards,  houses,  churches,  corn,  trees, 
gardens — all  were  damaged  by  its  fury.  Small  buildings 
were  swept  away  like  chaff;  above  800  dwelling-houses 
were  laid  in  ruins ;  2,000  stacks  of  chimneys  were  blown 
down  in  London;  15,000  sheep  were  destroyed  on  the 
banks  of  the  Severn,  and  20,000  in  the  county  of  Kent; 
300  ships,  500  wherries,  300  ship-boats,  and  100  lighters 
and  barges,  were  entirely  lost.  The  Eddystone  light- 
house was  precipitated  into  the  surrounding  ocean,  along 
with  its  ingenious  Architect  and  those  that  were  with 
him.  The  damage  done  in  the  city  of  London  alone  by 
this  storm  was  estimated  by  millions  of  pounds  sterling. 
Such  are  some  of  the  dreadful  effects  of  the  invisible  at- 
mosphere which  surrounds  us,  when  put  in  rapid  motion. 
Light  as  its  particles  are,  no  human  wisdom  or  power, 
in  such  cases,  can  avert  its  force,  or  withstand  its  dread- 
ful and  destructive  violence.* 

*See  Philosophical  Transactions,  for  1704. 


440  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Strong  winds,  in  their  onward  progress,  sometimes 
assume  a  spiral  motion,  and  hence  are  called  Whirlwinds 
or  Tornadoes.  This  whirling  motion  is  supposed  to  be 
produced  by  the  lateral  action  of  opposing  currents,  or 
the  influence  of  a  brisk  gale  upon  a  portion  of  the  atmos- 
phere at  rest,  in  a  manner  analogous  to  the  eddies  that 
arise  at  the  junction  of  two  streams,  flowing  with  unequal 
velocities;  or  the  air- whirls  that  occur  when  a  wind 
sweeps  by  the  corner  of  a  building,  and  strikes  the  calm 
air  beyond  it.  The  existence  of  such  opposing  currents 
is  fully  proved  by  the  observations  of  aeronauts,  and  of 
travellers  on  the  summits  of  lofty  mountains.  The 
whirl,  frequently,  originates  in  the  higher  regions  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  as  it  increases  in  violence,  descends,  its 
base  gradually  lowering  until  it  touches  the  earth's  sur- 
face. Kaemtz  was  so  fortunate  as  to  witness  the  actual 
formation  and  progress  of  such  a  whirling  in  the  atmos- 
phere ;  when  on  the  summit  of  the  Rigi,  in  Switzerland, 
he  beheld  two  masses  of  fog  approaching  each  other,  in 
the  valley  of  Goldan,  while  the  air  around  him  was  calm, 
and  the  sky  serene.  As  soon  as  they  united,  a  gyratory 
motion  was  perceived,  the  fog  rapidly  extended,  accom- 
panied with  violent  gusts ;  and  after  the  lapse  of  a  few 
moments,  a  furious  storm  fell  upon  the  lake  of  the  Four 
Cantons,  far  below,  in  the  midst  of  which  a  water-spout 
was  formed. 

Tornadoes  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  United 
States.  "I  have  often  observed  the  paths  of  such  storms," 
says  Lieutenant  Maury,  "in  the  forests  of  the  Mississippi. 
There  the  track  of  these  tornadoes  is  called  a  '  Wind- 
road,'  because  they  make  an  avenue  through  the  wood 
straight  along,  and  as  clear  of  trees  as  if  the  old  denizens 
of  the  forest  had  been  cleared  with  an  axe.  I  have  seen 
trees  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter  torn  up  by  the  roots, 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  .  441 

and  the  top  with  its  limbs,  lying  next  the  hole  whence 
the  root  came."  Another  writer,  and  an  eye-witness  of 
these  American  storms,  thus  describes  their  violence  : 
"  I  saw  to  my  great  astonishment,  that  the  noblest  trees 
of  the  forest  were  falling  into  pieces.  A  mass  of  branches, 
twigs,  foliage  and  dust  moved  through  the  air,  whirled 
onward  like  a  cloud  of  feathers,  and  passing,  disclosed  a 
wide  space  filled  with  broken  trees,  naked  stumps,  and 
heaps  of  shapeless  ruins,  which  marked  the  path  of  the 
tempest."  A  whirlwind  of  this  character  passed  through 
Northern  Ohio,  on  the  4th  of  February,  1842,  w^iicli 
WTOught  great  destruction.  Large  buildings  were  lifted 
entire  from  their  foundations,  carried  a  distance  of  several 
rods,  and  then  dashed  to  pieces.  The  fragments  were 
strewed  all  along  the  track,  and  some  were  carried  a 
distance  of  seven  or  eight  miles.  Large  oak-trees,  two 
feet  in  diameter,  were  snapped  off  like  reeds,  and  others 
were  so  twisted  as  to  be  reduced  to  a  mass  of  splinters 
not  much  thicker  than  a  man's  finger.  The  breadth  of 
the  track  did  not  much  exceed  half  a  mile,  and  the  most 
destructive  portion  was  still  more  limited.  This  tornado 
advanced  over  the  earth  with  a  velocity  of  thirty-four 
miles  per  hour;  and  its  duration  at  one  place  did  not 
much  exceed  one  minute. 

Other  and  more  destructive  tempests  still  are  called 
Hurricanes.  These  are  terrific  storms,  accompanied  by 
thunder  and  lightning,  and  are  distinguished  from  every 
other  kind  of  tempests  by  their  extent,  their  irresistible 
power,  and  the  sudden  changes  that  occur  in  the  direction 
of  the  wind.  Though  known  in  other  climates,  they 
rage  with  the  greatest  fury  in  the  tropical  regions.  The 
rich  products  of  the  plantations  are  destroyed  in  a  mo- 
ment, forests  are  leveled,  the  firmest  edifices  prostrated, 
and  their  roofs  whirled  aloft  into  the  air,  which  is  filled 


442  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

with  the  flying  fragments  of  a  thousand  ruins.  Upon 
the  coasts,  the  waves  rush  land-ward  with  appalling 
violence,  lining  the  harbors  and  the  adjacent  shores  with 
the  cargoes  and  wrecks  of  shattered  vessels.  In  the  great 
hurricane  of  1780,  which  commenced  at  the  Barbadoes 
and  swept  across  the  whole  breadth  of  the  North  Atlantic, 
fifty  sail  were  driven  ashore  at  the  Bermudas,  two  line- 
of-battle  ships  went  down  at  sea,  and  upwards  of  20,000 
persons  lost  their  lives  on  the  land.  So  tremendous  was 
the  force  of  this  hurricane,  that  "  the  bark  was  blown 
from  the  trees,  and  the  fruits  of  the  earth  destroyed ;  the 
very  bottom  and  depths  of  the  sea  were  uprooted ;  forts 
and  castles  were  washed  away,  and  their  great  guns  were 
carried  in  the  air  like  chaff;  houses  were  razed ;  ships 
wrecked ;  and  the  bodies  of  men  and  beasts  lifted  up  in 
the  air  and  dashed  to  pieces  in  the  storm." 

Another  hurricane  which  occurred  in  August,  1831, 
transformed  the  Barbadoes  into  a  desert,  and  killed  no 
less  than  5,000  persons.  There  were  observed  some 
forebodings  of  a  storm  the  evening  before,  and  a  little 
after  midnight  it  burst  forth  in  all  its  fury.  At  Dominica, 
St.  Vincent,  Cuba,  and  Aux  Cayes,  the  tempest  did 
serious  injuries;  the  rising  of  the  sea  at  the  latter  place 
caused  the  death  of  600  individuals.  At  New  Orleans 
the  effects  were  severely  felt,  and  at  Natchez,  300  miles 
up  the  Mississippi,  the  court-house  was  overturned. 
This  hurricane  began  in  the  Barbadoes  on  the  lOtli  and 
reached  New  Orleans  on  the  16th,  moving  over  a  dis- 
tance of  2,300  miles,  at  the  rate  of  383  miles  per  day. 

In  May,  1787,  a  hurricane  blew  in  India  from  the  north- 
east, when  the  ocean  waves  rolled  inland  to  the  distance 
of  twenty  miles,  on  the  coast  of  Coromandel ;  more  than 
10,000  of  the  inhabitants  found  a  watery  grave,  and  the 
carcasses  of  100,000  cattle  were  strewed  upon  the  marine 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  445 

mud.  And  in  October,  1864,  a  fearful  storm  swept  over 
the  Bay  of  Bengal,  during  which  all  the  ships  in  the 
harbor  of  Calcutta  were  swept  from  their  anchorage,  and 
driven  one  upon  another  in  inextricable  confusion.  Fear- 
ful as  was  the  loss  of  life  and  property  in  the  harbor  of 
that  city,  the  destruction  on  land  was  far  greater.  A 
vast  wave  swept  for  miles  over  the  surrounding  country, 
embankments  were  destroyed,  and  whole  villages,  with 
their  inhabitants,  were  swept  away.  It  was  estimated 
that  over  50,000  people  perished  in  this  fearful  hurri- 
cane. 

Over  the  vast  sandy  deserts  of  Arabia  and  Northern 
Africa  there  not  unfrequently  sweeps  a  fierce  hot  wind 
called  Simoon,  which  is  an  object  of  as  much  dread  to  the 
traveller  on  land  as  the  hurricane  or  cyclone  at  sea.  Its 
temperature  sometimes  rises  as  high  as  128°  Fahr. ;  and 
it  comes  loaded  with  clouds  of  fine  dust,  stifling  alike  to 
man  and  beast.  Under  its  effects,  the  lungs  are  contracted 
and  become  painful ;  respiration  becomes  short  and  diffi- 
cult, the  skin  parched  and  dry,  and  the  whole  body  is 
consumed  with  internal  heat.  The  sand-drifts  formed  by 
this  wind,  in  its  westward  course,  have  entombed  cities 
and  temples,  buried  colossal  figures  of  ancient  art,  and 
are  now  making  aggressions  on  the  fertile  soil  of  Egypt. 
The  classical  reader  will  recall  the  narrative  of  Herod- 
otus, of  the  loss  of  the  army  of  Cambyses  in  the  desert 
of  Lybia,  This  ambitious  prince  having  routed  the 
Egyptians,  and  heard  of  the  reputed  wealth  of  the  long- 
lived  Macrobians,  resolved  to  make  war  against  that 
Ethiopian  race.  Having  reached  Thebes,  he  separated 
his  army  into  two  divisions,  directing  50,000  of  his  troops 
to  advance  against  the  Ammonians,  and  pillage  the  tem- 
ple of  Jupiter  Ammon.  It  appears  that  they  reached 
the  Lybian  Oasis,  but  they  never  returned,  for  a  sand- 


446  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

wind  arose  from  the  south,  near  to  the  temple  of  Am- 
mon,  and  in  its  violent  blast  overwhelmed  the  army, 
utterly  destroying  them,  so  that  no  one  ever  returned  to 
tell  the  tale.  Such,  too,  was  nearly  the  fate  of  the  sol- 
diers of  Alexander,  about  two  centuries  later,  while  they 
crossed  the  desert  from  Memphis  to  Jupiter  Ammon,  a 
twelve  days'  journey.*  Every  trace  of  those  invading 
thousands  has  long  since  been  obliterated,  and  even  the 
object  of  their  unhallowed  cupidity  has  vanished  from  the 
face  of  the  earth ; — but  the  hot  blasts  of  the  desert  still 
visit  those  regions,  and  the  moving  sands  still  drift  before 
them  around  the  site  of  Ammon,  as  if  to  portray  to  the 
living  the  vanity  of  all  earthly  greatness,  and  to  proclaim 
the  folly  of  all  human  ambition. 

A  recent  English  traveller.  Rev.  F.  L.  Porter,  has  given 
the  following  vivid  description  of  a  simoon  he  encountered 
in.  Southern  Palestine:  "On  emerging  from  the  olive 
groves  of  Gaza,  the  desert  was  before  us — bare,  white, 
and  monotonous,  without  a  solitary  tree,  or  '  the  shadow 
of  a  great  rock,'  or  a  single  patch  of  verdure.  As  we 
rode  on,  we  had  overhead  the  bright  sky  and  blazing 
Sun  ;  and  beneath,  the  flinty  soil,  reflecting  burning  rays 
that  scorched  the  weeds  and  stunted  camel-thorn,  and 
made  them  crackle  like  charred  sticks  under  our  horses' 
feet.  As  the  day  advanced,  the  hot  '  sand-wind '  came 
upon  us,  blowing  across  the  great '  Wilderness  of  Wander- 
ing.' At  first  it  was  but  a  faint  breath,  hot  and  parch- 
ing, as  if  coming  from  a  furnace.  It  increased  slowly 
and  steadily.  Then  a  thick  haze,  of  a  dull  yellow  or 
brass  color,  spread  along  the  southern  horizon,  and  ad- 
vanced, rising  and  expanding,  until  it  covered  the  whole 
face  of  the  sky,  leaving  the  Sun,  a  red  globe  of  fire,  in  the 
midst.     We  now  knew  and  felt  that  it  was  the  fierce 


See  Jhrod.,  lib.  III.,  cap.  20 ;  and  Quint.  Curt.,  lib.  IV.,  cap.  7. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  447 

Simoon.     In  a  few  moments,  fine,  impalpable  sand  began 
to  drift  in  our  faces,  entering  every  pore.     Nothing  could 
exclude  it.     It  blew  into  our  eyes,  mouths,  and  nostrils, 
and  penetrated  our  very  clothes,  causing  the  skin  to  con- 
tract, the  lips  to  crack,  and  the  eyes  to  burn.     Respira- 
tion became  difficult.     We  sometimes  gasped  for  breath ; 
and  then  the  hot  wind  and  hotter  sand  rushed  into  our 
mouths  like  a  stream  of  liquid  fire.     We  tried  to  urge  on 
our  horses;  but  though  chafing  against  curb  and  rein  only 
an  hour  before,  they  were  now  almost  insensible  to  whip 
and  spur.     We  looked  and  longed  for  shelter  from  that 
pitiless  storm,  and  for  water  to  slake  our  burning  thirst; 
but  there  was  none.     The  plain  extended  on  every  side, 
smooth  as  a  lake,  to  the  circle  of  yellow  haze  that  bounded 
it.     No  friendly  house  was  there ;   no  rock  or  bank ;  no 
murmuring  stream  nor  solitary  well.     It  seemed  to  us  as 
if  the    prophetic  curse  pronounced  by  the  Almighty  on 
a  sinful    and  apostate   nation  was  now  being   fulfilled. 
We  could  see,  at  least,  in  the  whole  face  of  nature,  in 
earth  and  sky  and  storm,  how  terrible   and  how  graphic 
that  curse  was : — '  Thy  heaven    that  is  over  thy  head 
shall  be  brass,  and  the  earth  that  is  under  thee  shall  be 
iron.     The  Lord  shall  make  the  rain  of  the  land  powder 
and  dust:   from  heaven  it  shall  come  down  upon  thee' 
(Deut.  xxviii.   23,  24).     The    storm  -was  at  its  height 
when  we  saw,  rising  up  before  us,  a  low,  white  mound. 
As  we  approached  we  could  distinguish  heaps  of  ruins 
and  rubbish ;    and  on  reaching  it,  and  pressing  our  pant- 
ing steeds  up  its  shelving  sides  in   search  of  some  rude 
shelter,  we  scrambled  over  large  hewn  stones,  and  frag- 
ments of  marble  columns,  with  here  and  there  a  piece  of 
carved  cornice  or  sculptured   pediment  protruding  from 
the  dust.     Our  guide  had  dashed  on  in  front,  and  we 
eagerly  followed,  heedless  of  stones  and  pits  and  prostrate 


448  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

houses — in  silence,  but  hoping  for  some  kind  of  relief. 
A  cry  of  joy  burst  from  the  whole  party  as,  on  passing 
the  crest  of  the  tell,  we  saw  a  low  broken  wall,  and  not 
fiir  from  it  a  number  of  stone  troughs  round  the  mouth 
of  an  old  well.  The  well  was  dry,  but  we  crouched 
down  under  the  shelter  of  the  wall,  and  our  poor  horses 
came  close  to  our  feet,  lowering  their  heads  and  shutting 
their  eyes  to  escape  the  drifting  sand.  In  about  an  hour 
the  simoon  had  spent  its  fury,  and  we  prepared  to  resume 
our  route."''' 

The  foregoing  are  examples  of  the  violent  and  destruc- 
tive commotions  which  the  Sun's  rays  occasionally  pro- 
duce in  our  atmosphere,  though  those  rays  are  fitted  and 
designed  to  promote  the  general  welfare  of  the  world. 
While  we  are  assured  that  all  the  elements  and  forces 
of  nature,  even  to  their  minutest  operations,  have  been 
so  adjusted  and  combined  as  to  accomplish  the  purposes 
of  infinite  wisdom  and  love;  yet  it  is  difHcult  for  us  to 
discover  or  understand  the  particular  advantages  secured 
by  such  visitations  as  those  of  the  Tornado,  the  Hurri- 
cane, or  the  Simoon.  The  evils  they  inflict  are  obvious, 
but  the  good  they  accomplish  is  obscure.  But  tliat  even 
these  harmonize  with  the  ultimate  ends  of  God  in  crea- 
tion there  can  be  no  doubt.  And  since  we  are  able,  in 
some  cases,  to  trace  our  escape  from  great  evils  and  our 
enjoyment  of  certain  advantages  to  such  tempests,  these 
instances  should  dispose  us  to  believe  that  similar  benefits 
are  secured  by  all  others,  however  inscrutable  they  may 
appear. 

As  remedies  that  give  pain  must  sometimes  be  resorted 
to  for  the  preservation  of  the  individual,  so  correctives 
that  may  involve  partial  evils  must  be  employed  for  the 
good  of  the  race.     And   a  Tornado  may  prove,  and  in 

*  Giant  Cities  of  Bashan,  pp.  2 10-- 12. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  449 

some  instances  certainly  has  proved,  such  a  corrective. 
"In  1780,  Grenada,  in  the  West  Indies,  was  visited  by 
one  of  these.  Unlike  similar  phenomena,  this  was  to  the 
inhabitants  a  providential  deliverance.  Some  time  before, 
the  Formica  Saccharivora — a  species  of  ant — appeared  in 
such  numbers  as  to  threaten  the  annihilation  of  the  sugar- 
cane; and  the  people,  after  in  vain  trying  many  expedi- 
ents, and  offering  large  rewards,  were  contemplating 
leaving  the  island.  By  this  tempest,  an  Almighty  Arm 
accomplished  what  man  with  all  his  appliances  had  sig- 
nally failed  to  overcome — the  ant  was  exterminated!" 
Great  storms  have  often  saved  other  countries  from 
utter  devastation  by  locusts,  by  sweeping  them  all  away 
into  the  open  sea,  as  was  done  for  Egypt  in  the  day  of 
Moses. 

The  commotions  which  solar  heat  produces  in  the 
atmosphere  serve  to  restore  and  preserve  its  salubrity. 
It  is  the  common  experience  of  men  everj'where,  that 
great  storms  are  followed  by  a  sensible  improvement  in 
the  air,  and  by  feelings  of  increased  comfort.  Hence  it 
may  be  reasonably  inferred  that  they  are  designed  to 
correct  something  that  is  going  wrong  in  the  great  lab- 
oratory of  nature.  Among  other  effects,  we  have  ground 
to  believe  that  they  are  often  the  means  of  removing 
malarial  and  other  noxious  exhalations,  which  are  the 
prime  causes  of  epidemic  and  endemic  diseases.  Of  this 
there  occurred  a  notable  illustration  in  England  during 
the  first  visitation  of  what  the  common  people  called  the 
Sweating  Sickness.  "  On  new  year's  day,"  says  Ilecker, 
"a  violent  tempest  arose  in  the  southeast,  and  by  purifying 
the  atmosphere  relieved  the  oppression  under  which  the 
people  labored,  and  thus,  to  the  joy  of  the  whole  nation, 
the  epidemic  was  swept  away,  without  leaving  a  trace 
behind." 


450  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

In  various  parts  of  the  world,  storms  have  been 
observed  to  check  pestilences  which  human  skill  had 
failed  to  subdue.  "  On  the  banks  of  the  La  Plata,  in 
South  America,  there  is  a  prevailing  wind  which  comes 
charged  with  the  germs  of  intermittent  fever,  from  the 
marshes  lying  to  the  north.  The  wretched  inhabitants 
droop  and  sicken  and  shiver  into  their  graves.  Suddenly 
a  hurricane  sweeps  over  the  pampas  from  the  cold  sum- 
mits of  the  x\ndes  in  the  southwest,  and  in  a  few  days 
the  seeds  of  the  disease  are  roughly  yet  effectually 
expelled.  It  has,  moreover,  been  remarked  that  cholera 
epidemics  in  this  country  have  usually  been  attended 
with  great  stillness  in  the  atmosphere,  by  which  the 
operation  of  causes  tending  to  concentrate  the  disease  was 
no  doubt  favored.  Therefore,  when  we  hear  the  stormy 
wind  howling  round  our  houses,  and  sweeping  through 
our  courts  and  closes,  let  us  think  of  it  as  one  of  Nature's 
most  efficient  sanitary  agents,  by  which  she  renovates 
the  air  that  was  tainted  through  stagnation,  and  scatters 
the  seeds  of  the  pestilence  that  were  growing  up  for  our 
destruction."  * 

"All  Nature  is  but  art,  unknown  to  thee; 

All  chance,  direction,  which  thou  canst  not  see; 

All  discord,  harmony  not  understood  ; 

All  partial  evil,  universal  good  : 

And,  s})ite  of  pride — in  erring  reason's  spite, 

One  thing  is  clear — whatever  is,  is  right."— Pope. 

Teachings. 

The  foregoing  phenomena,  witnessed  in  the  material 
world,  find  a  striking  parallel  in  the  moral  world. 
Though  the  Sun  was  designed  and  constituted  to  be  the 
benefactor  of  our  whole  globe,  and  though  its  warm  and 
luminous  beams  are  actually  in  perpetual  activity  for  the 

'*  Bcncdicite,  p.  169. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  451 

good  of  every  living  thing,  yet  owing  to  certain  condi- 
tions of  terrestrial  elements  or  localities,  its  rays,  at  times, 
as  we  have  just  seen,  become  the  occasion  of  destructive 
storms  and  tempests ;  so  the  divine  teachings  of  Christ, 
the  Son  of  Righteousness,  though  all  designed  and  fitted 
to  promote  the  best  welfare  of  men,  in  time  and  eternity, 
yet  owing  to  the  wickedness  of  the  human  heart,  these  often 
excite  hatred  and  persecution,  which,  like  furious  tornadoes 
or  hurricanes,  carry  death  and  devastation  through  ichole 
nations. 

For  this  opposition  and  persecution  no  just  cause  or 
reason  can  be  found  in  the  character  of  the  Great 
Teacher,  or  in  the  nature  of  his  instructions.  He  is  good, 
supremely  good ;  and  all  his  words  are  pure  and  benefi- 
cent like  the  sunbeams.  The  spirit  in  which  he  speaks 
is  that  of  love  and  disinterested  benevolence.  The 
lessons  which  he  teaches  are  true  and  wise  and  good. 
The  motives  by  which  he  seeks  to  influence  men  are  pure 
and  elevating.  The  duties  he  enjoins  are  just  and 
reasonable.  And  his  precepts  all  are  fitted  and  graciously 
designed  to  make  mankind  wiser  and  better  and  happier, 
both  for  the  life  that  now  is  and  for  that  which  is  to 
come.  In  short,  so  wise  and  excellent  and  divine  are 
the  instructions  of  his  Gospel,  that  obedience — cordial 
and  universal  obedience — to  them  would  not  only  banish 
from  among  men  all  the  iniquities  and  vices  which  now 
afflict  them,  but  restore  them  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
innocence,  security  and  happiness  which  reigned  in  the 
primeval  paradise. 

Yes,  the  inherent  tendency  and  gracious  purpose  of 
the  Gospel  is  to  restore  the  reign  of  Love ;  to  restrain 
and  subdue  the  evil  passions  of  men,  to  allay  animosities 
and  dispose  to  peace,  to  inspire  the  spirit  of  kindness  and 
mutual  sympathy,  to  change  enemies  into  friends,  and 


452  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

persecutors  into  benefactors;  to  make  rulers  just  and 
citizens  loyal,  the  seller  truthful,  the  buyer  honest,  the 
master  forbearing,  and  the  servant  faithful ;  to  convert 
the  cruel  husband  to  a  loving  companion,  the  austere 
father  to  a  gentle  parent,  and  fractious  children  to  dutiful 
sons  and  daughters ;  to  shed  a  mild,  kind  and  peaceful 
spirit  over  all  the  relationships  of  human  societies,  and 
to  inspire  every  individual  soul  with  the  joyful  and 
transporting  assurance  that,  when  called  to  leave  the 
scenes  of  earth,  he  shall  come  into  the  possession  of  an 
inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not 
away.  For  this  end  did  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise 
upon  our  world  with  healing  in  his  beams,  and  for  this 
end  he  continues  to  shine  upon  our  sin-polluted  and  sin- 
ruined  race. 

Such  is  the  Gospel,  such  is  its  amiable  spirit  and  blessed 
influence.  Yet,  such  is  fallen  humanity  that,  w^hen  its 
pure  and  beneficent  beams  are  shed  upon  them,  it  becomes 
the  occasion  of  violent  agitations,  of  storms  of  evil  pas- 
sions. And  this  for  the  reason  that  "the  carnal  mind  is 
enmity  against  God,  and  desires  not  the  knowledge  of 
his  w\a3's.  Men  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  are  evil.  For  every  one  that  doeth  evil 
hateth  the  light,  neither  cometh  to  the  light  lest  his 
deeds  should  be  reproved."  Hence,  as  the  Sun  of  nature 
cannot  shine  upon  certain  rank  ferns  and  marshes  of 
the  earth  without  becoming  the  occasion  of  pestilence 
and  death;  so  neither  can  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shed 
his  light  upon  the  corrupt  hearts  of  men,  without  becom- 
ing the  occasion  of  opposition  and  hatred.  And  this 
wicked  spirit,  not  unfrequently  breaks  out,  like  tempests 
in  the  atmosphere,  into  open  and  violent  persecutions, 
carrying  suffering  and  sorrow  into  multitudes  of  peaceful 
and  happy  homes.     The  desolation  and  bloodshed,  which 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  453 

have  by  these  means  swept  over  some  of  the  fairest 
portions  of  the  earth's  surface,  are  past  all  estimation. 
If  tornadoes  and  hurricanes  have  had  their  thousands  of 
victims,  persecution  has  had  its  millions. 

No  sponer  had  the  light  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 
shone  upon  the  world  than  human  depravity  was  thus 
set  in  commotion,  and  the  work  of  persecution  began. 
What  a  tempest  of  malevolent  passions  gathered  around 
the  Blessed  Saviour  himself!  What  jealousy  and  hate 
and  violence  assailed  his  Sacred  Person !  What  relent- 
less malice  and  cruelty  at  last  extinguished  his  holy  and 
devoted  life  in  death ! 

Nor  was  it  long  before  his  humble  followers  were  ex- 
posed to  similar  treatment.  A  few  of  the  expressions 
that  occur  in  the  earliest  history  of  the  church  will  serve 
to  describe  the  whirlwind  in  which  they  were  perpetually 
involved.  When  they  began  to  proclaim  the  good  word 
of  life,  we  read  that,  "  The  rulers  being  grieved  that  they 
taught  the  people,  and  preached  through  Jesus  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  they  laid  hands  upon  them,  and 
put  them  in  prison,  and  commanded  them  not  to  speak 
at  all,  nor  to  teach,  in  the  name  of  Jesus." — Again,  "  Then 
the  high  priest  and  they  that  were  with  him  were  filled 
with  indignation." — Again,  "  When  they  heard  them, 
they  were  cut  to  the  heart,  and  took  counsel  to  slay 
them." — Again,  "And  when  they  heard  these  things,  they 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  and  stopped  their  ears,  and  ran 
upon  him  with  one  accord,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  city; 
and  they  stoned  Stephen,  calling  upon  God,  and  saying. 
Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit." — "At  that  time  there  was 
great  persecution  against  the  church  which  was  at  Jeru- 
salem, and  they  were  all  scattered  abroad  throughout  the 
regions  of  Judea  and  Samaria." 

A  similar  whirlwind  of  hatred  and  opposition  appears 

28 


454  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

to  have  attended  the  footsteps  of  the  apostles  as  they 
went  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  the  Gentiles. 
At  Antioch,  Iconium,  Ljstra,  Philippi,  Thessalonica, 
Corinth  and  Ephesus,  they  had  to  encounter  uproars 
and  violence,  and  to  flee  for  the  preservation  of  their 
lives.  Bonds  and  afflictions  awaited  them  whithersoever 
they  went. 

As  time  advanced  and  Christianity  spread,  more  gen- 
eral and  terrible  persecutions  than  all  these  swept  over 
the  broad  provinces  of  the  Roman  Empire.  While  the 
Romans  tolerated  every  kind  of  religion  from  which  no 
danger  to  the  public  safety  was  apprehended,  they  would 
not  endure  that  any  one  should  deride  or  attempt  to  ex- 
plode the  religion  of  the  state ;  they  held  that  between 
this  and  the  government  there  existed  such  an  intimate 
connection  and  dependence,  that  whosoever  attempted 
to  undermine  the  former  could  not  but  be  hostile  to  the 
latter.  No  reflection,  therefore,  on  the  religion  or  the 
gods  of  the  commonwealth  would  be  tolerated.  But 
Christians,  by  the  very  principle  and  spirit  of  their  re- 
ligion, felt  impelled  to  oppose  and  denounce  all  idolatry, 
and  ceased  not  to  urge  citizens  of  all  classes  to  renounce 
their  vain  superstitions,  to  forsake  their  false  gods,  and 
to  abandon  forever  their  degrading  rites  and  ceremonies. 
They  intended  no  ill  to  the  state,  indeed  ;  but  their  course 
was  so  interpreted.  Hence  the  emperors,  the  senate,  tlie 
presidents  and  the  magistrates  sought  to  arrest  the  pro- 
gress of  Christianity  by  means  of  the  most  rigorous  laws 
and  punishments.  And  private  interests  and  selfish 
considerations  among  the  people  were  nowhere  wanting 
to  urge  on  the  execution  of  these  laws  and  penalties  to 
the  very  letter.  Attached  to  the  service  of  that  host  of 
deities  which  the  Romans  worshipped,  there  was  an  im- 
mense number  o^ priests,  augurs,  soothsayers,  and  ministers 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  457 

of  inferior  order,  who  clearly  saw  that  the  establishment 
of  the  Christian  religion  would  be  the  end  of  all  the  em- 
oluments, honors,  and  advantages  which  they  enjoyed. 
Associated  with  these  in  their  efforts  to  oppose  and  put 
down  Christianity,  there  was  an  innumerable  multitude 
of  persons  of  various  other  occupations,  to  whom  the 
public  superstitions  were  a  source  of  no  small  gain ;  such 
as  merclianfs  who  supplied  the  worshippers  with  frank- 
incense and  victims,  and  other  requisites  for  sacrifice; 
arcliitects,  vintners,  gold  and  silver  smiths,  carpenters,  stat- 
uaries, sculptors,  players  on  the  flute,  harpers,  and  others; 
to  all  of  whom  the  heathen  polytheism  with  its  numer- 
ous temples,  and  long  train  of  priests,  and  ministers,  and 
ceremonies  and  festivals  was  a  principal  source  of  afflu- 
ence and  prosperity.* 

Such  was  the  Roman  world.  It  is  obvious  that,  in  all 
respects,  it  was  fitly  conditioned  for  the  production  of 
fierce  gusts  and  wide-sweeping  storms,  on  the  introduc- 
tion of  such  a  system  of  religion  as  Christianity.  As  the 
Sun's  rays,  in  tropical  regions,  falling  upon  extended 
portions  of  the  atmosphere  laden  with  vapors  and  charged 
with  electricity,  often  produce  the  most  destructive  hur- 
ricanes :  so  the  bright  and  pure  beams  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  falling  upon  such  a  mass  of  superstition 
and  errors  and  selfishness,  could  not  but  excite  bitter 
hate  and  be  productive  of  furious  opposition.  And  so 
it  came  to  pass. 

In  the  reign  of  Nero,  about  the  middle  of  November, 
in  the  year  64,  there  broke  out  with  all  the  suddenness 
and  destructiveness  of  a  tornado,  a  most  violent  persecu- 
tion of  the  Christians.  Multitudes  of  them  were  seized, 
and  on  utterly  false  charges,  or  as  the  common  enemies 
of  mankind,  were   condemned,  and  hurriedly  executed 

*  See  Mosheim's  Historical  Comments,  Vol.  I.,  p.  129,  etc. 


458  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

with  every  ingenuity  of  cruelty  and  every  aggravation  of 
insult  and  derision.  They  were  covered  with  the  skins 
of  wild  beasts,  and  torn  in  pieces  by  devouring  dogs ;  they 
were  fastened  to  crosses  in  the  most  agonizing  positions ; 
and  many  were  wrapped  up  in  combustible  garments, 
then  suspended  upon  upright  stakes  and  set  fire  to,  that 
when  the  daylight  failed,  they  might,  like  torches,  serve 
to  dispel  the  darkness  of  the  night.  For  this  tragical 
spectacle  Nero  lent  his  own  gardens,  and  exhibited  at 
the  same  time  the  public  diversions  of  the  circus ;  some- 
times driving  a  chariot  in  person,  and  sometimes  stand- 
ing as  a  spectator,  while  the  shrieks  of  women  and  the 
moans  of  strong  men,  roasting  in  flames  and  burning 
into  ashes,  supplied  music  for  his  ears.  For  four  long 
years  did  this  dreadful  work  of  blood  continue  under  his 
sanction. 

The  example  of  Nero  was  but  too  closely  followed  by 
his  successors.  A  second  general  persecution  took  place 
under  Domitian,  beginning  in  the  year  95,  when  no  less 
than  40,000  are  supposed  to  have  suffered  martyrdom. 
A  third  began  under  Trajan,  A.  d.  100,  and  was  carried 
on  with  great  violence  for  several  years.  A  fourth  broke 
out  under  Antonius,  beginning  in  A.  d.  136,  when  the 
Christians  were  banished  from  their  homes,  forbidden  to 
show  their  heads,  reproached,  beaten,  driven  from  place 
to  place,  plundered,  imprisoned,  and  stoned.  K  fifth  com- 
menced in  the  year  199,  under  Severus,  when  great  cruel- 
ties were  committed.  In  this  reign  occurred  the  martyr- 
dom of  Perpetua  and  Felicitas,  and  their  companions.  A 
sixth  persecution  began  with  the  reign  of  Maximinus,  A.  d. 
235,  in  which  many  bishops  and  Christian  leaders  fell.  A 
seventh,  which  was  the  most  dreadful  ever  known,  opened 
in  the  year  250,  under  the  emperor  Decius,  when  Chris- 
tians were  in  all   places   driven   from  their  habitations, 


SOURCE   OF    HEAT.  459 

stripped  of  their  estates,  tormented  with  racks,  and 
destroyed  in  all  horrid  ways.  An  eighth  began  in  257, 
under  Valerian.  Great  numbers  of  both  men  and  women 
suffered  death  ;  some  by  scourging,  some  by  the  sword, 
and  some  by  fire.  A  ninth  took  place  under  Aurelian, 
in  273 ;  but  this  was  inconsiderable,  compared  with  the 
others  before  mentioned.  A  tenth  began  in  the  19th 
year  of  Dioclesian,  A.  D.  302.  In  this  dreadful  persecu- 
tion, which  lasted  ten  years,  houses  filled  with  Christians 
were  set  on  fire,  and  whole  droves  were  tied  together 
with  ropes,  and  thrown  into  the  sea.  It  is  related  that 
17,000  were  slain  in  one  month ;  and  that  during  the 
continuance  of  this  persecution,  in  the  province  of  Egypt 
alone,  no  less  than  144,000  Christians  died  by  the  vio- 
lence of  their  persecutors;  besides  700,000  that  died 
through  the  fatigues  of  the  hard  work  to  which  they 
were  condemned,  or  the  exposures  of  the  banishments  to 
which  they  were  driven. — It  is  supposed  that  during  the 
first  three  centuries  no  less  than  3,000,000  perished  for 
the  Christian  faith. 

From  the  reign  of  Constantine,  when  the  church  com- 
menced a  corrupt  and  corrupting  alliance  with  the  state, 
the  storms  of  persecution  took  their  rise  from  quite 
another  quarter.  Thenceforward  men  of  corrupt  minds 
and  worldly  ambition  sought  and  obtained  positions  of 
emolument  and  authority  in  the  church ;  and  soon,  as  in 
the  time  of  old,  those  who  were  born  after  the  flesh 
began  to  persecute  those  who  were  born  after  the  Spirit. 
This  was  carried  on,  with  less  or  greater  severity,  through 
a  succession  of  centuries.  At  length  Martin  Luther 
arose,  and  boldly  and  fearlessly  exposed  the  errors  and 
corruptions  into  which  the  church  of  Rome  had  drifted ; 
and  when  he  proclaimed  the  Gospel  in  its  primitive 
simplicity  and  purity,  and  his  sentiments  began  to  spread 


460  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  acquire  a  hold  on  the  public  mind,  the  Pope  and  his 
Cardinals  and  Clergy  united  all  their  forces,  and  excited 
all  their  powers  to  hinder  their  progress  and  to  extinguish 
their  influence.  Hence  arose  the  most  terrible  perse- 
cutions the  world  had  ever  seen.  Through  Germany, 
Bohemia,  Poland,  Lithuania  and  Hungary,  the  blood  of 
the  saints  is  said  to  have  "flowed  like  rivers  of  water." 
In  Holland  and  the  Low  Countries,  according  to  Grotius, 
no  less  than  100,000  suffered  by  the  hand  of  the  execu- 
tioner. 

France,  likewise,  was  overswept  once  and  again  by 
these  diabolical  tempests.  In  the  reign  of  Charles  IX., 
after  the  queen  dowager  of  Navarre,  Admiral  Coligni,  and 
many  other  eminent  persons  had  been  destroyed  by  treach- 
ery or  open  assassination,  the  murderers  ravaged  the 
whole  city  of  Paris,  and  butchered  in  three  days  above  ten 
thousand  lords,  gentlemen,  presidents,  and  people  of  all 
ranks.  Now  a  horrid  scene  of  things  presented  itself — 
the  very  streets  and  passages  resounded  with  the  noise 
of  those  that  met  together  for  murder  and  plunder ;  the 
groans  of  those  who  were  dying,  and  the  shrieks  of  such 
as  were  just  going  to  be  butchered  were  everywhere 
heard  ;  the  bodies  of  the  slain  thrown  out  of  the  windows; 
the  courts  and  chambers  of  the  houses  filled  with  them ; 
the  dead  bodies  of  others  dragged  through  the  streets ; 
their  blood  running  through  the  channels  in  torrents  to 
the  neighboring  river:  in  a  word,  an  innumerable  multi- 
tude of  men,  women  and  children  were  all  involved  in 
one  common  destruction.  From  Paris  the  massacre 
spread  throughout  the  whole  kingdom.  In  the  city  of 
Meaux  they  threw  above  200  into  gaol ;  and  after  they 
had  ravished  and  killed  a  great  number  of  women,  and 
plundered  the  houses  of  Protestants,  they  executed  their 
fury  on   those  they   had  imprisoned ;  and  calling  them 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  461 

one  by  one,  they  were  killed  like  sheep  for  the  market. 
In  Orleans  they  murdered  more  than  500  men,  women, 
and  children,  and  then  enriched  themselves  with  the 
spoils.  The  same  cruelties  were  perpetrated  at  Angers, 
Troyes,  Bourges,  La  Charite,  and  especially  at  Lyons, 
where  they  inhumanly  destroyed  above  800  Protestants, 
hanging,  mangling,  dragging,  tearing,  or  throwing  them 
half  dead  into  the  river.  Nearly  100,000  perished  in 
this  massacre. — Another  persecution,  far  exceeding  in 
cruelty  that  now  described,  devastated  this  unhappy 
country,  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV.  But  as  it  must  be 
painful  to  every  man  of  humane  feeling  to  contemplate 
these  dreadful  scenes  of  blood  and  cruelty,  we  forbear  to 
describe  them.  Suffice  it  to  say  that,  the  fiendish  bar- 
barities practiced  on  men  and  women,  mothers  and  infants, 
left  those  of  Nero  and  Dioclesian  far  behind  them,  and 
completely  in  the  shade  ! 

England  also  has  been  the  scene  of  repeated  persecu- 
tions. In  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  many  eminent 
reformers  were  burnt  at  the  stake.  And  when  queen 
Mary  came  to  the  throne,  a  severer  storm  still  swept  over 
the  land.  Hooper  and  Rogers  were  consumed  in  slow 
fires.  Saunders,  after  having  been  tormented  while 
consciousness  remained,  perished  in  the  flames.  Taylor 
was  put  into  a  barrel  of  pitch,  and  fire  set  to  it.  Eight 
distinguished  persons,  among  whom  was  Ferrar,  bishop 
of  St.  David's,  were  sought  out,  and  burnt  by  the  infamous 
Bonner,  in  a  few  days.  Sixty-seven  persons  were  in  this 
year,  1555,  burnt,  among  whom  were  Bradford,  Ridley, 
Latimer,  and  Philpot.  In  the  following  year,  eighty-five 
persons  were  burnt.  Women  also  suffered,  some  of  them 
giving  birth  to  babes  in  the  flames.  The  whole  number 
of  those  who  suffered  death  for  the  reformed  religion  in 
this  reign  amounted  to  no  less  than  277,  besides  many 
others  who  perished  in  prisons. 


462  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Ireland,  likewise,  has  had  its  soil  drenched  with  the 
blood  of  Protestants.  In  a  few  days,  beginning  with  the 
23d  of  October,  1641,  between  forty  and  fifty  thousand 
were  cruelly  murdered  in  different  parts  of  the  island. 
Scotland  also  was  the  scene  of  great  cruelty  and  blood- 
shed for  many  years. — It  has  been  computed  that  no  less 
than  50,000,000  of  Protestants  have  at  different  times, 
and  in  different  countries,  been  the  victims  of  persecutions 
waged  by  Roman  Catholics. 

Thus  the  enlightening  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, the  Gospel  of  his  love,  though  designed  and 
fitted  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  all  mankind,  yet, 
throusfh  the  wickedness  of  the  human  heart,  has  often 
become  the  occasion  of  hatred,  divisions,  and  persecutions. 
Has  become  the  occasion,  I  say,  not  the  cause;  between 
these  there  is  a  wide  distinction,  and  one  that  should  be 
carefully  noted,  for  Christianity  has  sometimes  been 
wrongfully  charged  with  all  the  evils  attendant  on  perse- 
cutions. Christianity  neither  authorizes,  nor  encourages, 
nor  countenances  any  of  these.  A  timely  rain  is  the 
cause  of  much  good,  but  it  may  incidentally  occasion  no 
little  harm.  Medicine  is  often  the  cause  of  great  relief,  but 
through  the  cupidity  of  quacks  it  may  become  the  occasion 
of  cruel  imposture.  So  the  Christian  religion  is  the  cause  of 
good,  and  of  good  only,  but  it  may  become,  through  the  per- 
verse passions  of  men,  the  occasion  of  extensive  and  pro- 
longed evils,  such  as  we  have  just  seen.  The  cause — the 
true  and  real  cause — of  persecutions  is  not  to  be  found 
in  the  Gospel,  but  in  the  depravity  of  human  nature. 
Indeed, 

"  Scarcely  an  ill  to  human  life  belons^s, 
But  what  our  follies  cause,  or  mutual  wrongs." 

Vast  and  dreadful  as  the  evils  of  persecution  have 
been,  the   overruling  providence  and  unfailing  grace  of 


SOURCE  OF   HEAT.  463 

God  have  pressed  them  mto  his  own  service,  and  ren- 
dered them  the  means  of  promoting  the  very  cause  they 
sought  to  destroy.  These  storms,  which  the  ambition 
and  pride  of  the  wicked  raised  among  men,  he  permitted 
with  the  same  intention  as  tempests  among  the  elements, 
namely,  to  scatter  noxious  vapors  and  to  preserve  the 
moral  atmosphere  in  a  healthy  condition.  In  the  Divine 
Government,  persecutors  occupy  the  same  station  as  whirl- 
winds or  hurricanes.  When  they  prevail,  and  wield  the 
power  they  have  gained  with  an  oppressive  and  cruel 
hand,  they  are  in  truth  no  more  than  his  instruments  for 
the  good  of  his  people,  and  for  the  ultimate  welfare  of 
his  church. 

In  the  hand  of  God,  persecutions  are  rendered  the 
means  of  improving  and  signalizing  the  graces  of  his 
people,  and  thereby  of  raising  them  to  higher  honor  and 
glory.  In  passing  through  the  furnace,  their  souls  are 
tried,  refined,  and  brightened.  In  fighting  the  battle  they 
are  fitting  for  the  crown.  It  was  thus  that  those  illus- 
trious bands  of  confessors  and  martyrs  of  old  were  elevated 
and  set  forth  to  the  admiration  of  all  ages  to  come,  llow 
many  shining  examples  of  fortitude,  constancy  and  pa- 
tience would  have  been  lost  to  the  world  had  religion  met 
with  no  opposition,  no  trials,  and  all  things  had  proceeded 
in  one  undisturbed  calm! 

Under  the  government  of  Heaven,  persecutions  are 
made  conducive  to  the  advancement  of  truth,  and  the 
propagation  of  religion  in  the  world.  Paul,  referring  to 
certain  sore  trials  through  which  he  had  passed,  says, 
"  I  would  ye  should  understand,  brethren,  that  the  things 
which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  out  rather  unto  the 
furtherance  of  the  Gospel ;  so  that  my  bonds  in  Christ 
are  manifest  in  all  the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places." 
In  those  ages  when  the  church  was  most  exposed  to  fiery 


464  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

trials,  it  flourished  the  most.  When  the  four  winds  of 
heaven  blew  against  it,  they  served  only  to  make  it  shine 
the  brighter  and  flame  the  higher.  The  constancy  and 
fortitude  of  those  who  sufiered  and  died  for  the  truth  had 
a  much  greater  effect  in  increasing  the  numbers  of  con- 
verts than  all  the  terror  and  cruelty  of  persecutors  in 
diminishing  them.  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  became,  in 
the  soil  which  it  moistened,  the  seed  of  faith,  devotion, 
and  love. 


ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  Siin  of  Nature,  by  the  simple  2wwer  of  his  warm  beams,  overcomes 
all  the  rigor  and  resistance  of  winter  to  clothe  the  earth  with  the  verdure 
and  fruits  of  summer — so  the  Sun  of  liiyliteousness,  by  the  gentle  power 
of  his  love,  is  to  overcome  all  the  hatred  arid  opposition  of  enemies,  and 
overspread  the  world  with  the  saving  truth  and  peaceable  fruits  of  his 
Gospel. 

Phenomena. 
Those  who  have  performed  voyages  in  balloons  tell  us 
that,  under  the  influence  of  a  steady  wind,  while  they 
close  their  eyes  or  do  not  look  down  to  the  earth,  their 
sensation  is  that  of  perfect  rest ;  they  are  not  sensible  of 
the  slightest  motion,  though  they  may  be  travelling  at 
railroad  speed.  And  in  the  cabin  of  a  large  and  heavy 
ship,  going  smoothly  before  the  breeze  in  still  water,  we 
perceive  not  the  least  indication  that  we  are  advancing, 
though  we  may  be  making  ten  or  twelve  knots  an  hour. 
We  sit  or  walk,  read  or  write,  as  if  we  were  on  the  solid 
land.  If  we  throw  a  ball  into  the  air,  it  falls  back  into 
our  hand ;  or  if  we  drop  it,  it  falls  at  our  feet,  just  as  if 
we  were  on  shore ;  and  this  for  the  reason  that  all  things 
around  us  are  movinn;  alona:  with  us.  There  is  nothing  in 
view  to  mark  or  indicate  that  we  are  progressing.    So  it  is 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  465 

with  US  all  as  passengers  on  this  earthly  ball,  which,  as  a 
vast  aerial  ship,  is  sailing  steadily  through  the  voids  of 
space ;  we  are  not  conscious  in  the  faintest  degree  of  its 
motion,  though  it  is  sweeping  onward  with  a  fearful 
velocity,  for  there  is  nothing  around  us  to  mark  its  ad- 
vance, the  mountains  and  oceans  and  atmosphere  being 
carried  along  at  the  same  speed. 

The  Great  Architect  of  the  universe  has  appointed  the 
earth  to  revolve  around  the  Sun  in  the  period  of  one 
year.  Its  orbit  is  an  ellipse,  but  one  that  does  not  greatly 
differ  from  a  circle.  In  this  it  moves  at  the  mean  dis- 
tance of  92,000,000  of  miles,  and  at  the  rate  of  68,000 
miles  per  hour.  The  Sun  is  situated,  not  in  the  centre 
of  this  ellipse,  but  a  little  one  side  of  it,  or  in  what  mathe- 
maticians call  one  of  its  foci.  From  this  it  necessarily 
results  that  the  distance  of  the  earth  from  the  Sun  at  its 
perihelion,  or  nearest  point,  is  considerably  less  than  at  its 
aphelion,  or  farthest  point.  This  fact  would  naturally 
suggest  that  the  period  of  nearness  must  be  that  of  Sum- 
mer, and  that  of  distance  Winter;  but  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  very  reverse  is  the  case.  On  the  1st  of  January 
the  earth  is  about  three  millions  of  miles  nearer  to  the 
Sun  than  on  the  1st  of  July. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the  cold  of  Winter  and  the 
heat  of  Summer  must  depend  upon  some  other  cause  than 
that  of  distance.  That  cause  is  found  in  the  inclination 
ot  the  earth's  axis  to  the  plane  of  its  orbit;  that  is,  its 
axis  leans  from  a  perpendicular  to  that  plane  by  an  angle 
of  23 J  degrees.  The  effect  of  this  arrangement  is  to 
overbalance  that  of  nearness  or  remoteness,  by  presenting 
the  northern  hemisphere  of  the  globe  when  at  its  greater 
distance  more  directly  towards  the  Sun,  and  its  southern 
hemisphere  at  its  lesser  distance  more  obliquely.  To 
this  simple  arrangement  we  owe  all  the  changes  of  our 


466  '        THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

seasons,  and  all  the  variation  in  the  length  of  our  days 
and  nights  through  the  year.  A  glance  at  the  annexed 
Figure  will  make  this  plain  to  every  reader.  At  the 
vernal  equinox,  it  will  be  observed,  that  the  Sun  illumines 
the  globe  exactly  from  pole  to  pole.  As  the  earth  ad- 
vances, this  illumination  passes  beyond  the  North  pole, 
and  falls  as  much  short  of  reaching  the  South  pole,  until 
it  has  arrived  at  the  Summer  solstice,  when  its  rays  reach 
the  arctic  circle,  or  23i  degrees  beyond  the   North  pole, 


POSITION  OF  THE  EARTH  AT  DIFFERENT  SEASONS. 

while  at  the  same  time  they  fall  short  by  the  same  dis- 
tance of  reaching  the  South  pole.  Now  the  changes  are 
reversed,  and  go  on  thus  until  they  arrive  at  the  Winter 
solstice,  when  the  sunlight  passes  beyond  the  South  pole 
to  the  antarctic  circle.  From  this  point  it  begins  to  re- 
turn after  the  same  manner  till  it  reaches  again  the  vernal 
equinox,  the  point  from  which  we  started. 

All  this,  perhaps,  may  be  made  plainer  still  by  placing 
a  small  low  lamp  in  the  centre  of  a  round  table  to  repre- 


SOURCE   OF   HEAT.  467 

sent  the  Sun,  and  taking  a  ball  of  white  worsted  to 
represent  the  earth,  with  a  knitting  needle  thrust  through 
the  centre  to  indicate  its  axis.  Now  let  this  ball  be 
glided  along  the  edge  of  the  table  as  an  orbit,  keeping 
the  needle  inclined  and  pointing  exactly  in  the  same 
direction  all  along,  and  the  light  falling  on  the  ball  in 
its  progress  will  indicate  very  plainly  the  changing  round 
of  the  seasons. 

In  the  hemisphere  which  is  inclined  towards  the  Sun, 
then,  there  is  Summer ;  while  in  that  which  is  inclined 
away  from  it,  there  is  Winter.  In  our  zone  or  latitude, 
the  Sun,  at  noon,  is  47°  lower  at  the  Winter  solstice  than 
it  is  at  the  same  hour  at  the  Summer  solstice ;  that  is  to 
say,  its  rays  fall  upon  us  by  so  many  degrees  more 
obliquely,  and  therefore  more  feebly.  Meanwhile  it  is 
jibsent  altogether  during  the  night  for  nearly  twice  the 
number  of  hours  that  it  shines.  The  consequence  of  all 
this  is  the  cold  weather  of  the  winter  season.  And  how 
great  this  cold  often  is,  and  what  desolation  it  spreads 
over  the  face  of  nature,  every  reader  well  knows.  Look 
abroad  at  what  hour  or  in  what  direction  we  may,  and, 
as  compared  with  the  scenes  of  summer,  how  chill  and 
dreary  the  view !  No  verdure,  no  foliage,  no  grazing 
tlock,  no  peeping  flower  is  to  be  seen ;  no  hum  of  insect 
or  song  of  bird  relieves  the  all-pervading  stillness.  The 
Sun's  beams,  coming  from  the  low  verge  of  heaven,  are 
so  weak  and  wan  as  scarcely  to  be  felt.  The  atmosphere, 
laden  with  frozen  vapors,  is  raw  and  chilling.  Vale  and 
hill  are  clothed  with  glittering  snows.  The  soil  is  hard- 
ened to  a  rock.  Tiie  streams  and  lakes  are  bound  in 
icy  fetters.  The  glaciers  are  extending  their  long  cold 
arms  far  into  the  plains.  Every  tree,  like  a  fleshless 
skeleton,  is  stretching  out  its  bare  brown  boughs,  and 
the  wind,  cold  and  piercing,  moaning  through  them  as 


468  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

in  funeral  dirges.  All  nature  wears  one  sullen  aspect, 
bleak  and  desolate,  to  eye  and  ear  and  feeling,  comfortless 
alike. 

Such  is  the  face  of  the  earth  around  us  at  this  season. 
And  is  it  evermore  thus  to  be  ?  Will  nature  forever  lie 
thus  entombed  in  ice  and  snow  ? — But  for  our  recollection 
and  experience  of  the  past,  how  hopeless  it  would  appear 
that  such  a  scene  would  ever  give  place  to  one  of  sunny 
days,  balmy  air,  and  luxuriant  vegetation.  Yet  all  this 
will  come — slowly  but  surely  come.  The  Sun  will  rise 
higher  and  higher,  his  rays  will  acquire  greater  strength, 
and  beneath  their  gentle  influence  the  snows  will  melt 
away,  the  ice  will  relax  its  grasp  on  the  waters,  the 
earth  will  soften  and  open  its  bosom,  the  roots  of  grass 
and  trees  will  feel  the  genial  warmth,  vegetation  through- 
out her  realms  will  resume  its  life -and  verdure,  flowers 
will  bloom  and  birds  will  sing,  and  all  nature  will  be 
again  enrobed  in  the  charms  and  glories  of  the  summer. 
What  a  change,  what  an  enchanting  miracle  is  thus 
annually  wrought  for  our  world !  And  all  this  by  the 
gentle  power  of  the  Sun's  beams,  falling  without  pro- 
ducing a  jar  or  a  sound  in  effecting  all  the  work. 

"  What  scenes  of  delight,  what  sweet  visions  he  brings, 
Of  freshness,  of  ghidness  and  mirth — 
Of  fair  sunny  glades  where  the  buttercup  springs, 
Of  cool,  gushing  fountains,  of  rose-tinted  M'ings, 
Of  birds,  bees  and  blossoms,  all  beautiful  thiugs, 
Whose  brightness  rejoices  the  earth ! " 

Teachings. 

Wonderful,  indeed,  is  the  change  effected  in  the  mate- 
rial world  in  passing  from  Winter  to  Summer,  but  more 
wonderful  far  is  the  change  destined  to  be  accomplished 
in  the  moral  world  through  the  benign  influence  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness.       If  a  native   of  some    tropical 


SOUECE  OF  HEAT.  469 

island,  where  it  is  balmy  summer  all  the  year  round,  who 
had  never  heard  or  known  anything  of  countries  that 
have  such  a  round  of  varying  seasons  as  we  experience, 
should  be  conveyed  in  a  close  cabin  and  landed  suddenly 
amid  our  cold  and  ice  and  snow-drifts,  where  all  seemed 
dead,  not  a  leaf  remaining  on  the  trees,  nor  a  blade  of 
grass  to  be  seen  peeping  out  of  the  ground — if  such  an 
individual  should  be  told  that  within  five  or  six  months 
all  this  would  be  completely  changed,  and  the  whole  face 
of  the  country  present  a  scene  of  living  luxuriance  and 
beauty  similar  to  that  of  his  native  isle,  he  would  doubt- 
less deem  it  a  thing  incredible,  for  it  would  appear  to  him 
to  require  nothing  less  than  a  miracle  to  bring  about  such 
a  transformation.  So,  if  an  inhabitant  of  some  sinless 
and  happy  world,  where  all  are  holy,  harmless,  and  unde- 
filed,  had  been  dropped  upon  our  globe  in  the  infancy  of 
Christianity,  the  moral  winter  of  the  world,  and  had  gone 
up  and  down  among  its  fallen  and  sinful  populations,  and 
witnessed  their  cruel  wars  and  tyrannies,  their  foul  and 
corrupting  idolatries,  their  social  vices  and  secret  pollu- 
tions, their  utter  alienation  from  God,  and  universal 
corruption  through  sin — if  such  a  being  had  been  told 
that  a  remedy,  an  efficient  remedy  had  been  provided 
whereby  this  apostate  race  should  be  recovered,  and 
restored  to  virtue  and  holiness ;  that  the  whole  earth 
would  yet  be  covered  with  the  knowledge  and  love  of 
God,  even  as  the  waters  cover  the  deep,  he  would  have 
stood  amazed  at  the  statement,  he  would  have  incredu- 
lously exclaimed  like  Nicodemus,  How  can  these  things 
be  ?  And  yet,  so  it  is  to  be,  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord 
hath  sjDoken  it.  As  the  Sun  of  nature,  by  the  simple 
power  of  his  warm  beams,  overcomes  all  the  rigor  and 
resistance  of  winter  to  clothe  the  earth  with  the  verdure 
and  fruits  of  Summer;  so  the  Sun  of  Eighteousness  is 


470  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

destined,  hy  tlie  gentle  power  of  his  Jove,  to  overcome  all 
the  hatred  and  o^jposition  of  enemies,  and  to  overspread 
the  ivorld  loith  the  saving  truths  and  peaceable  fruits  of  his 
Gospel. 

The  only  means  which  the  world  employed  or  knew 
for  subduing  rebels  or  vanquishing  enemies  was  force, 
violence,  punishment.  But  for  this  end  Jesus  Christ 
chose  and  introduced  a  7iew  pov:ier.  The  moving,  sub- 
duing and  transforming  element  of  influence  He  employed, 
and  still  employs,  to  win  the  confidence  and  secure  the 
obedience  of  revolted  humanity  is,  not  threats  nor  terrors 
nor  vengeance,  but  Love — the  Love  of  the  Father,  the 
Love  of  his  own  pitying  and  compassionate  heart.  The 
proclamation  with  which  he  entered  our  rebellious  world 
was,  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life."  In  him,  in  his 
life  and  in  his  death,  the  world  beholds  the  Love  of  God 
as  it  beholds  it  in  nothing  else,  and  as  it  is  expressed 
through  no  other  medium.  The  Love  of  God  in  Christ, 
as  displayed  upon  the  cross,  is  the  mighty  force,  the 
spiritual  magnet,'  which  is  to  draw  all  men  unto  him. 
It  is  the  doctrine  of  crucified  Love  that  is  to  triumph 
over  man,  that  is  to  be  effectual  through  grace  to  arrest, 
to  captivate,  and  to  regenerate  human  hearts.  Where  the 
cross  is  wanting,  all  preaching,  though  by  tongues  of  fire 
or  of  angels,  has  neither  power  nor  efiicacy  for  this  end. 
But  wherever  this  is  lifted  up,  though  with  feeble  hands 
and  faltering  lips,  it  proves  a  resistless  power.  The  cross 
is  the  most  expressive  symbol  of  the  unfathomable  Love 
of  God,  and  the  instrument  of  most  effectual  energy  for 
the  recovery  of  man.  In  the  cross,  mankind  behold  God 
pitying  and  loving  his  creatures,  and  adopting  a  method 
inexpressibly  grand  and  affecting  for  remedying  that  evil 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  471 

which  is  their  disgrace  and  their  perdition.  Through  the 
cross  they  apprehend  what,  in  its  deep  meaning,  they 
never  had  apprehended  before — incarnate,  crucified,  dying 
Love  !  This  lifted  up  before  the  sinner,  suddenly  he 
feels  its  power,  and  gains  a  glimpse  of  its  Divine  mystery, 
the  mystery  of  godliness — God  in  Christ  reconciling  the 
world  unto  himself — God  in  an  attitude  of  amazing 
tenderness  and  pity,  winning  back  his  erring  creatures  to 
liimself !  Now  the  wondrous  sight,  and  the  more  won- 
drous truths  of  which  it  is  the  symbol,  take  ehtire  and 
permanent  possession  of  his  whole  being,  and  henceforth 
he  goes  on  his  way  through  the  world  exclaiming,  "God 
forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ!" — 0  yes,  this  is  the  power  by  which  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  warms  and  melts  the  icy  hearts  of 
the  children  of  men,  and  is  carrying  forward  the  world 
from  its  winter  of  sin  and  sorrow  to  the  summer  of  holi- 
ness and  joy — Love,  crucified  Love  ! 

This  was  the  power  that  softened  and  subdued  the 
hard  hearts  of  publicans  and  sinners.  This  was  the 
power  which  overcame  the  superstition,  perverseness  and 
enmity  of  man,  wherever  Apostles  or  disciples  proclaimed 
the  sweet  story  of  Redeeming  Love,  whether  among 
barbarians,  Scythians,  bond,  or  free.  And  this  was  the 
power  which  relaxed,  and  ultimately  dissolved  the  bonds 
of  the  great  system  of  ancient  idolatry,  so  that  the  whole 
vast  fabric  fell  to  pieces,  and  the  banner  of  the  cross 
was  erected  upon  its  ruins. 

These  achievements  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  ages  gone  by, 
are  a  promise  and  a  pledge  of  its  progress  and  triumph 
in  time  to  come ;  for  no  difficulties  more  formidable  can 
arise  in  the  future  than  those  which  it  has  overcome  iu 
the  past.  What  more  powerful  opposition  or  more  furious 
enmity  can  be  conceived  than  those  which  beset  Christi- 

29 


472  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

anity  in  its  early  days.  All  the  learning,  logic,  wisdom, 
and  philosophy  which  the  world  possessed  were  arrayed 
against  it ;  nor  only  that,  to  oppose  its  progress,  power, 
also,  lifted  up  its  arm — authority  promulgated  its  edicts 
— bigotry  mustered  its  hosts — intolerance  pointed  its 
enmity — persecutions  opened  its  dungeons,  forged  its 
fetters,  reared  its  gibbets,  and  kindled  its  fires;  but  in 
the  face  of  all  this,  it  went  on  conquering  and  to  conquer. 
But  what  the  Gospel  was  it  still  is,  "  the  power  of  God." 
It  is  still  extending  its  influence  and  multiplying  its 
trophies.  Slowly  but  surely  it  is  advancing  to  the  sov- 
ereignty of  the  world.  Its  enemies  are  as  powerless  to 
stay  its  progress  as  they  are  to  arrest  the  revolution  of 
the  seasons.  As  the  ice  melts  away  from  the  waters,  as 
the  snow  disappears  from  the  fields,  and  as  the  frost 
vanishes  from  the  atmosphere,  before  the  returning  Sun 
of  spring;  so  before  the  warm  and  illuminating  beams 
of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  all  unbelief  and  hardness 
of  heart,  all  the  sophistry  of  the  infidel,  all  the  errors  of 
the  Mohammedan,  all  the  delusions  of  the  Brahmin  and 
Budhist,  all  the  superstition  and  cruelty  of  the  idolater, 
shall  ultimately  melt  away  and  vanish  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.  The  idol  and  the  altar  of  the  pagan  shall 
perish  together.  Juggernaut  shall  bow  before  the  cross. 
The  Shasters  and  the  Koran  shall  shrivel  and  vanish  in 
the  presence  of  the  Gospel.  The  habitations  of  cruelty 
shall  become  the  abodes  of  holiness  and  peace.  And  the 
Mosque  and  the  Pagoda  shall  be  transformed  into  tem- 
ples for  the  worship  of  the  true  and  living  God. 

Visions  of  glory  !  Bright  anticipations  of  the  future  ! 
Shall  they  ever  be  realized?  They  shall,  they  must; 
and  these  are  our  vouchers :  "  The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  shall  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his 
Christ." — "All  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember  and 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  473 

turn  to  the  Lord ;  and  all  the  kindreds  of  the  nations 
shall  worship  before  him." — "  From  the  rising  of  the 
Sun,  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same,  my  name 
shall  be  great  among  the  Gentiles ;  and  in  every  place 
shall  incense  be  offered  unto  my  name,  and  a  pure  offering; 
for  my  name  shall  be  great  among  the  heathen,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts." — "And  the  dominion,  and  the  greatness 
of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given 
to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High ;  and  all 
dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him." — "  His  way  shall 
be  known  upon  earth,  and  his  saving  health  among  all 
nations." — "  He  shall  have  dominion  from  sea  to  sea,  and 
from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth." — "All  the 
ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  our  God." — 
"And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all 
flesh  sliall  see  it  together,  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  it." 


ANALOGY  VL 

As  the  Sun  of  Nature,  by  its  warm  beams,  draws  upward  the  vapor  from 
sea  and  land,  to  be  condensed,  and  prcsc?!^?^  returned  in  refreshing 
shoxvers  o?i  the  heated  plains  and  thirsty  fields, — so  the  Sun  o^  Right- 
eousness^ warming  the  hearts  of  his  people,  elraws  forth  their  prayers 
and  supplications,  to  return,  in  due  time,  in  gracious  effusions  upon 
their  own  souls  and  upjon  those  of  others. 

Phenomena. 

Three  thousand  years  ago,  a  devout  observer  of  the 
system  of  nature  affirmed  that,  "  The  heavens  declare 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handi- 
work." Modern  science  has  abundantly  confirmed  and 
illustrated  the  truth  of  this  statement,  by  revealing  to 
us  in  that  "firmament,"  or  atmosphere,  a  combination 


^4  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  processes  carried  on,  which  none  but  Infinite  Wisdom 
could  have  contrived,  and  none  but  Infinite  Power  put 
in  operation.  Tltere  science  shows  us  the  three  mighty 
agencies  of  nature — heat,  air  and  water — in  incessant 
activity,  and  playing  into  each  other's  hands  with  the 
regularity  and  efficiency  of  instinct,  and  laboring  together 
with  what  might  be  almost  called  intelligence,  to  refresh 
and  vivify  the  earth,  to  support  and  nourish  life,  and  to 
distribute  countless  blessings  over  all  the  world,  by  giving 
us  both  the  early  and  the  latter  rain. 

Rain  is  indispensable  to  the  welfare  of  the  world  in 
which  we  dwell ;  indispensable,  indeed,  to  constitute  it  a 
habitation  for  any  organized  existences,  at  least,  any 
such  as  we  are  acquainted  with.  Without  rain  there 
could  be  no  vegetation,  without  vegetation  there  could 
be  no  animals,  and  without  vegetation  and  animals  there 
could  be  no  men  to  occupy  the  face  of  the  earth.  A  rain- 
less world  would  be  a  tenantless  and  lifeless  world. 

The  first  step  in  the  process  of  rain-production,  as 
observed  in  a  former  chapter,  is  evaporation,  a  most 
interesting  and  wonderful  operation.  Let  us  glance  at 
the  leading  particulars  it  involves.  The  atmosphere,  as 
composed  of  oxygen  and  hj^drogen,  together  with  a  small 
proportion  of  carbonic  acid,  is  so  constituted  as  to  be 
capable  of  absorbing  moisture  and  retaining  it  in  an 
invisible  state ;  the  warmer  the  air  the  greater  is  its 
capacity  for  this.  The  air  in  a  room  measuring  100  feet 
each  way,  and  at  a  temperature  of  68°  Fahr.,  is  capable 
of  taking  up  and  holding  upwards  of  half  a  ton  of  water. 
Again,  water  is  so  constituted  that,  under  the  influence 
of  solar  heat,  it  is  susceptible  of  being  converted  into 
invisible  vapor  or  steam.  In  this  state  it  occupies  a  space 
1,600  times  greater  than  in  its  liquid  state,  and  is  there- 
fore much  lighter  than  air;  consequently  it  readily  floats 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  475, 

in  it,  and  ascends  into  its  higher  regions,  till  it  reaches  • 
an  altitude  where  its  weight  and  that  of  the  rarefied  air 
around  it  are   equal.     In   this  way  vast  quantities  of 
water,  in  the   form  of  invisible  vapor,  are  continually 
ascending  from  sea  and  land. 

Now,  this  process  of  evaporation  is  carried  on  so  gently 
and  so  silently,  that,  at  first  thought,  it  would  appear  to 
require  hut  little  power  to  eflfect  it ;  but  in  reality  the 
force  expended  is  absolutely  stupendous.  It  has  been 
calculated  that  the  amount  of  heat  required  to  evaporate 
a  quantity  of  water  which  would  cover  a  district  of  ten 
miles  square  to  a  depth  of  one  inch,  would  be  equal  to 
the  heat  which  would  be  produced  by  the  combustion  of 
500,000  tons  of  coal.  And  the  amount  of  force  of  which 
this  consumption  of  heat  would  be  the  equivalent,  corre- 
sponds to  that  which  would  be  required  to  raise  a  weight 
of  upward  of  1,000,000,000  tons  to  a  height  of  one  mile. 
Now,  when  we  remember  that  the  area  of  the  State  of 
New  York  alone  is  47,000  square  miles,  and  that  the 
average  annual  rain-fall  is  37  inches,  we  see  that  the 
force  expended  to  secure  for  us  one  year's  rain  is  truly 
enormous.  All  the  coal  which  could  be  raised  from  all 
the  mines  of  the  United  States  in  a  thousand  years  would 
not  give  out  heat  enough  to  produce  an  adequate  supply 
of  rain  for  a  single  year,  for  that  one  State. 

The  second  step  in  the  production  of  rain  is  the  con- 
densation of  this  invisible  vapor.  This  is  effected  by  the 
cooling  of  the  air  below  the  temperature  of  the  dew-point. 
From  observations  made  in  balloons  and  on  hiorh  moun- 
tains,  it  has  been  found  that  the  temperature  of  the  at- 
mospliere  lowers  as  we  ascend ;  at  an  altitude  of  two  miles 
it  sinks  about  35°  Fahr.  Now  the  vapor  produced  by  the 
solar  heat  from  the  surface  of  the  land  and  water  is  car- 
ried  upward  with  the  warm   air  which   has  absorbed  it, 


476  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  having  reached  those  higher  and  cooler  elevations,  it 
condenses,  and  becomes  visible  in  the  form  of  thin,  dif- 
fused mist.  This  is  sometimes  seen  to  float  at  so  great  a 
height  as  four,  or  five,  or  even  six  miles. 

The  third  step  in  the  process  is  the  breaking  up  and 
collecting  of  this  diffused  mist  into  separate  and  distinct 
clouds.  How  this  is  accomplished  is  not  very  clearly  un- 
derstood, but  it  is  an  arrangement  worthy  of  all  admira- 
tion. If  the  condensed  vapors  were  left  to  overspread 
and  obscure  the  whole  heaven,  how  monotonous  would  be 
the  aspect  of  the  skies  above  and  the  earth  below  ! — we 
should  be  always  living  under  one  dull,  gray  canopy  of 
mist.  But  instead  of  this.  Infinite  Wisdom  has  so  ad- 
justed the  working  together  of  the  elements  here,  as  in  a 
thousand  other  things,  as  to  minister  both  to  our  pleasure 
and  to  our  necessities.  Now,  while  clouds  prevail,  our 
eyes  are  delighted,  here  and  there,  with  the  blue  ethereal 
sky,  and  with  the  pleasing  alternations  of  shade  and  sun- 
shine. To  repeat  what  I  have  elsewhere  said  on  this  sub- 
ject, "  how  charming  the  lights  and  shadows  that  are 
thus  made  to  flit  over  the  face  of  the  landscape ;  now  we 
see  the  Sun  suddenly  bursting  forth  from  his  hiding-place, 
and  flooding  all  nature  with  his  genial  heat  and  glories ; 
and  now  we  witness  the  deep,  gigantic  shadows  of  the 
flying  clouds,  careering  one  after  another,  over  field  and 
forest  and  mountain-side !  Add  to  all  this,  the  endless 
combinations  and  shades  and  forms  the  clouds  are  made  to 
assume,  in  order  to  relieve  and  adorn  our  skies.  We 
have  the  delicate  tints  that  first  streak  the  morning  sky, 
spreading  and  deepening,  spreading  and  deepening,  till 
the  whole  roof  above  is  wreathed  and  lined  with  purple 
glories.  Then  we  have  the  silky  vapors  that,  at  the 
fervid  noon,  float  in  the  highest  azure,  as  if  the  altar 
smoke  of  pure  devotion  on  its  way  before  the  Highest." 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  477 

The  vapors  having  been  condensed  and  formed  into 
clouds,  a  fourth  agency  comes  into  beautiful  play  for  their 
transportation  to  the  various  regions  where  their  enriching 
contents  are  needed.  This  is  accomplished  by  the  nu- 
merous air-currents,  or  winds,  which  traverse  the  atmos- 
phere. These  take  the  clouds,  as  it  were,  in  tow,  and 
convey  them  in  various  directions  over  the  face  of  the 
whole  earth.  Though  these  winds,  excepting  the  Trades 
and  Monsoons,  appear  to  observe  no  law  or  order,  either 
as  to  their  times  or  directions  or  velocities,  and  seem  to 
well  deserve  the  epithet  "  fickle,"  so  often  applied  to  them, 
yet  so  admirably,  as  a  whole,  are  they  adjusted,  that  they 
rarely  neglect  a  district  or  a  spot,  or  fail  to  float  over  it 
the  cloudy  cisterns  that  are  to  distill  upon  it  the  needed 
moisture  in  its  season. 

With  this  we  are  brought  to  notice  a  fifth  process  in  the 
arrangement  made  for  watering  the  earth,  and  one  equally 
interesting  and  wonderful,  namely,  the  release  of  the 
waters  from  the  clouds.  The  clouds  we  know  float  along 
through  the  atmosphere,  often  for  hundreds  of  miles,  re- 
taining their  whole  cargoes  of  water  without  losing  a  drop. 
By  what  means,  or  through  what  influence,  then,  are 
they  at  length  compelled  to  discharge  and  shower  down 
their  contents?  It  is  by  a  process  the  reverse  of  that 
which  at  the  first  lifted  them  from  the  earth  into  the  skies. 
"As  water  is  converted  into  vapor  by  heat,  so  by  the  loss 
of  heat  vapor  is  reconverted  into  water.  Hence,  when 
a  cloud  of  vapor,  either  by  entering  a  chillier  stratum  of 
air,  or  by  coming  in  contact  with  colder  currents,  loses 
any  portion  of  its  former  heat,  a  correspondmg  proportion 
of  its  aqueous  contents  is  condensed  into  what  may  be 
called  water-dust.  And  these  dust-like  particles,  by  com- 
ing into  contact,  unite ;  and  these  again,  in  a  similar 
manner,  coalesce  with  others  still,  till  visible  globules  or 


478  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

drops  are  formed.  And  all  this  process  is  conducted  with 
the  exactness  of  number,  weight  and  measure.  A  cloud, 
for  example,  floats  in  a  current  of  air  of  80°  temperature; 
if  that  current  loses  9°  of  its  heat,  the  cloud  must  cast 
overboard,  in  the  form  of  a  shower,  one-quarter  of  its 
load ;  and  if  it  loses  21°  of  its  heat,  then  .it  must  part 
with  one-half  of  its  tonnage.  Thus  as  the  heat  gradually 
decreases,  the  condensation  of  the  vapor  gradually  in- 
creases, forming  the  drops  and  the  showers,  which  refresh 
and  renew  the  face  of  the  earth." 

One  more  feature  of  these  marvellous  arrangements  of 
the  firmament  remains  to  be  noticed,  and  that  is,  "  The 
manner  in  which  the  clouds  discharge  their  contents,  namely, 
in  soft  and  gentle  showers.  If,  instead  of  this,  they  poured 
out  their  prodigious  cargoes  at  once,  in  streams  and  floods, 
the  consequences,  frequently,  would  be  destructive  and 
lamentable  in  the  extreme,  as  is  evident  from  instances 
of  this  kind,  which,  at  distant  intervals,  have  taken  place. 
Vegetation  would  be  destroyed,  crops  would  be  beaten 
into  the  ground,  the  trees  stripped  of  their  loaves  and 
fruits,  the  fields  ploughed  into  trenches,  and  the  soil 
washed  away,  the  streams  suddenly  swelled  into  im- 
petuous and  destructive  torrents  :  so  that  presently  every 
gathering  or  passing  cloud  would  become,  like  an  ava- 
lanche, an  object  of  terror  to  all  who  beheld  it.  Viewed 
in  contrast  with  all  this,  how  beautiful,  how  beneficent  is 
the  existing  arrangement !  Instead  of  descending  like 
this,  in  ruinous  cascades,  we  ,see  the  water  trickling  down 
in  gentle  and  fertilizing  drops,  as  if  the  nether  sides  of 
the  clouds  were  finely  perforated  into  a  sieve,  and  these 
drops  alighting  upon  the  earth  without  bruising  a  flower 
or  destroying  a  blade  of  grass.  Softly  the  work  begins, 
and  softly  it  is  carried  on  as  the  cloudy  cisterns  sail  slowly 
over  field  and  forest,  hill  and  dale,  leaving  no  district 


SOURCE    OF    HEAT.  479 

unvisited,  no  spot  unwatered.  Who  that  intelligently 
contemplates  all  this,  but  must  be  rapt  into  admiration 
and  gratitude,  in  view  of  the  designing  wisdom  and  dif- 
fusive goodness  of  God,  as  seen  in  every  passing  shower!  "* 
— "  Thou,  0  Lord,  visitest  the  earth,  and  waterest  it : 
Thou  waterest  the  ridges  thereof  abundantly :  Thou 
settlest  the  furrows  thereof:  Thou  makest  it  soft  with 
showers:  Thou  blessest  the  springing  thereof:  Thou 
crownest  the  j^ear  with  thy  goodness;  and  thy  paths 
drop  fatness.  They  drop  upon  the  pastures  of  the  wilder- 
ness; and  the  little  hills  rejoice  on  every  side.  The 
pastures  are  clothed  with  flocks;  the  valleys  also  are 
covered  over  with  corn ;  they  shout  for  joy,  they  also 
sing;"  Psalm  Ixv.  9-13. 

Teachings. 
Under  the  beautiful  imagery  of  the  above  Psalm — 
namely,  that  of  timely  and  copious  showers  refreshing  a 
dry  and  thirsty  land ;  descending  upon  the  open  furrows 
and  softening  and  dissolving  them  to  nourish  the  seed, 
and  cover  the  valleys  over  with  corn ;  dropping  even  on 
the  desolate  wilderness  and  clothing  it  with  pasture  and 
with  flocks ;  and  thus  filling  the  hearts  of  all  with  joy 
and  gladness — under  these  pleasing  images  may  be  rep- 
resented to  us  the  quickening,  invigorating,  and  fructi- 
fying grace  shed  down  from  on  high  upon  the  dry  and 
barren  spirits  of  the  children  of  men,  in  answer  to  prayer. 
As  the  Sun  of  nature,  by  its  warm  beams,  draws  upward 
the  vapors  from  sea  and  land,  to  be  condensed,  and 
presently,  to  be  thus  returned  in  refreshing  showers  on 
the  heated  plains  and  thirsty  fields ;  so  the  Sun  of  Eighf- 
eonsness,  icarming  the  hearts  of  his  'people,  drmcs  forth 
their  prayers  and  supplications,  to  return,  in  due  time,  in 

*The  passa<^es  marked  as  quotations,  in  the  above  paragraphs,  are  taken  from 
the  Author's  work,  entitled,  Science  and  the  Bible,  pp.  115-122. 


480  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

gracious   effusions   upon    their   ovm   souls  and    those   of 
others. 

As  all  the  evaporations,  which  are.  ultimately  to, 
descend  in  fertilizing  rain,  are  generated  and  drawn 
upwards  by  the  power  of  the  Sun's  rays;  so  all  true 
prayers  are  called  forth  under  the  gracious  influences  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Apart  from  him  there  is, 
there  can  be,  no  true  and  effectual  prayer.  It  is  his  light, 
his  truth,  that  reveals  to  men  their  spiritual  destitution 
and  need  of  prayer,  that  the//  are  wretched,  and  miserable, 
and  j)oor,  and  blind,  and  naked.  It  is  his  Spirit  that 
quickens  them  to  realize  this,  and  disposes  and  teaches 
them  to  pray  for  relief;  He  lielpeth  our  infirmity,  for  ice 
know  not  what  lue  should  "pray  for  as  we  ought.  It  is  the 
warm  beams  of  his  dying  love  that  attract  them  to  the 
throne  of  grace ;  No  man  cometh  to  the  Father  except  he 
draio  him.  And  it  is  through  his  mediation  that  our 
prayers  are  heard  and  answered ;  He  maketh  intercession 
for  the  saints  according  to  the  will  of  Ood,  so  that  tohatso- 
ever  they  ask  in  his  name,  he  will  do  it.  He  is  our  advocate 
with  the  Father.  Through  him  we  have  access  to  the 
mercy-seat.  Our  petitions  are  received  by  him  into  his 
golden  censer,  and,  mingled  with  the  ascending  incense 
of  his  merits,  are  offered  before  the  throne  of  God.  Our 
voice,  ere  it  reaches  the  ear  of  Jehovah,  falls  in  and 
blends  with  his  voice,  and  him  we  knoio,  the  Father  heareih 
always.  Thus  prayer  owes  its  origin,  its  exercise,  and 
its  efficacy  to  the  gracious  influence  of  the  adorable 
Saviour  of  men. 

Again  :  As  all  the  vapors  which  the  Sun  draws  upward 
to  the  skies  are  sure,  sooner  or  later,  to  descend  in 
showers  to  benefit  the  earth  ;  so  all  the  prayers  drawn 
from  the  heart  by  the  warm  and  quickening  beams  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness   are  sure  to  return,  in  their 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT..  481 

time,  in  blessings  upon  those  who  offer  them.  No  prayer 
is  offered  in  vain.  In  the  system  of  the  firmament,  we 
have  seen,  that  there  is  a  natural  and  necessary  con- 
nection between  the  rising  vapors  and  the  descending 
showers ;  so  in  the  system  of  grace,  there  is  a  real  and 
unfailing  connection  between  prayer  and  the  blessing  of 
God.  Every  one  that  asketh  receiveth.  '  Prayer,  true  prayer, 
infallibly  gains  the  ear  and  receives  the  blessing  of  God. 
Such  a  prayer  cannot  be  offered  without  benefit  to  the 
soul.  Every  prayer,  indeed,  may  not  be  answered  in 
the  way,  or  at  the  time,  or  by  the  means  the  offerer  may 
look  for  or  desire,  for  that  may  not  be  best  for  him  ;  but 
answered  it  shall  assuredly  be.  For  this  we  have  the 
promise  and  pledge  of  him  whose  word  cannot  be  broken : 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the 
Father  in  my  iiame,  he  will  give  it  you.  He  that  spared 
not  his  own  Son,  hut  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall 
he  not  with  him  also  freely  give  us  all  things. 

Again  :  As  the  greater  the  amount  of  vapors  that  go 
up  from  the  earth,  the  greater  the  amount  of  rain  that 
will  presently  come  down  upon  it ;  so  the  more  abundant 
the  prayers  and  supplications  that  ascend  to  the  throne 
of  grace,  the  more  abundant  will  be  the  blessings  that 
will  descend  thence  in  return.  Prayer  will  ever  be  in 
proportion  to  our  faith,  and  according  to  our  faith  it  is 
to  be  unto  us.  The  most  prayerful  are  to  be  the  most 
blessed,  the  most  spiritual,  and  the  most  happy.  Hence 
the  earnest  and  uniform  exhortations  of  scripture:  "Men 
ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to  faint;"  "Pray  without 
ceasing;"  "Continuing  instant  in  prayer;"  "Praying 
always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in  the  Spirit;" 
"  In  everything  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving let  your  requests  be  made  known  to  God."  Hence 
in  every  age,  and  in  every  land,  they  who  have  abounded 


482  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

most  in  prayer  have  abounded  most  in  all  spiritual  gifts 
and  graces.  Witness  the  most  eminent  saints  of  all 
history.  David,  speaking  of  his  devotional  habit,  says, 
"  Evening,  and  morning,  and  at  noon,  he  shall  hear  my 
voice."  Daniel  "  kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times  a 
day,  and  prayed  and  gave  thanks."  Cornelias,  a  devout 
man,  "  prayed  to  God  always."  Paul  "  prayed  night  and 
day  exceedingly."  Luther  and  Melancthon  were  men  "who 
gave  themselves  to  prayer  daily."  Baxter  is  said  to  have 
"stained  his  study  walls  with  the  breath  of  prayer." 
Doddridge  tells  us  that  his  "  whole  dependence  for 
success  both  in  study  and  preaching  was  on  prayer." 
Boerliaave  spent  an  hour  every  morning  in  prayer  and 
meditation.  Wesley  and  Whitefield  were  as  stated  in 
secret  prayer  as  they  were  in  feeding  their  bodies  with 
necessary  food.  Henry  Martyn  says,  "  In  prayer  I  have 
the  most  precious  views  of  Christ;  I  want  no  other 
happiness,  no  other  sort  of  heaven."  Brainard  and 
Payson,  Judson  and  Finney,  express  themselves  in  sim- 
ilar language.  Hence  the  power  and  usefulness  of  all 
these  great  and  good  men  among  their  fellow-creatures. 
When  they  came  forth  from  their  interviews  and  com- 
munion with  God,  their  countenances  seemed  to  shine 
with  the  glory,  and  their  garments  to  be  filled  with  the 
perfume,  of  the  upper  sanctuary.  Truly  hath  our  Poet 
Isaid, 

'When  one,  that  hohls  communion  with  the  skies, 
Has  filled  his  urn  where  these  pure  waters  rise, 
And  once  more  mingles  witli  us,  meaner  things, 
'  Tis  e'en  as  if  an  angel  shook  his  wings: 
Immortal  fragrance  fills  the  circuit  wide, 
That  tells  us  whence  his  treasures  are  supplied." 

What  is  thus  true  of  the  efficacy  of  abounding  prayer 
in  bringing  down  the  richest  blessings  of  henven  upon 
the   individual  soul  is   equally  true  in  reference  to  the 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  483 

church  at  large.  If  a  congregation,  or  a  community,  or 
a  nation,  seek  the  Lord  with  the  whole  heart,  he  will  be 
found  of  them.  Prayer  has  ever  preceded  the  out-pour- 
ings of  God's  Holy  Spirit.  God  will  be  inquired  of  by 
the  house  of  Israel  to  do  for  them  this  thing.  Of  this 
the  best  proofs  are  facts.  This  was  eminently  the  case 
of  the  National  Reformation  under  Josiah,  when  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  church  was  changed,  and  the  leaven 
of  piety  diffused  through  the  entire  mass  of  the  people. 
The  same  was  true  of  the  surprising  change  effected  by 
the  ministry  of  Ezra.  So  of  the  great  revival  at  Jerusa- 
lem in  the  days  of  the  apostles ;  after  the  Saviour  had 
been  taken  up  from  them,  and  a  cloud  had  received  him 
out  of  their  sight,  "  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  from  the 
mount  called  Olivet,  and  when  they  were  come  in,  they 
went  up  into  an  upper  room,  where  abode  both  Peter  and 
James  and  John,  and  the  rest  of  the  apostles ;  these  all 
continued  with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication, 
with  the  women,  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with 
his  brethren."  And  while  thus  unitedly  breathing  out 
prayer,  the  Spirit  of  God  descended  and  filled  the  place 
where  they  were  assembled.  A  little  later,  we  read  that 
in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  the  company  with  Avhom 
Peter  and  John  met,  "  the  place  was  shaken  where  they 
were  met,  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  spake  the  word  of  God  with  boldness."  Leaving 
scripture  history,  and  coming  down  to  later  ages,  I 
may  add  that  the  great  Reformation  of  Germany,  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  was  preceded  by  prayers  and  suppli- 
cations the  most  earnest  on  the  part  of  God's  faithful 
ones ;  and  it  was  with  strong  crying  and  tears  that  the 
great  work  was  carried  on.  D'Aubigne,  the  distinguished 
historian  of  that  period,  having  related  the  wrestling 
and  agonizing  prayer  of  Luther  before  entering  the  Diet 


484  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

of  Worms,  adds,  "  This  prayer  discloses  to  us  Luther 
and  the  Reformation.  History  here  lifts  the  veil  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  discovers  the  secret  source  whence  strength 
and  courage  descended  to  the  humble  and  despised  man, 
who  was  God's  instrument,  to  set  at  liberty  the  soul  and 
thought  of  man,  and  open  a  new  age.  Luther  and  the 
Reformation  lie  open  before  us.  We  discern  their  in- 
most springs.  We  see  where  their  power  lay."*  In  no 
recorded  case  of  modern  times,  perhaps,  has  the  convert- 
ing power  of  the  Spirit  been  more  signally  displayed 
than  under  the  preaching  of  John  Livingston,  in  Scot- 
land, in  1630.  To  name  but  one  instance — that  good 
man  with  a  company  of  his  brethren,  spent  a  whole  night 
in  prayer  for  God's  blessing;  and  the  next  day,  under 
his  sermon,  no  less  than  five  hundred  souls  were  con- 
verted. Richard  Baxter  ascribes  the  extraordinary 
success  which  attended  his  preaching  at  Kidderminster 
to  the  abounding  prayers  of  the  people  :  "  They  thirsted 
for  the  salvation  of  their  neighbors.  Abundance  of  them 
prayed  in  their  families.  Once  a  week  the  younger  sort 
met  and  spent  three  hours  in  prayer  together.  Every 
Saturday  night  the  people  assembled  to  pray  and  pre- 
pare themselves  for  the  following  day."  The  great 
element  of  power  which  attended  the  ministry  of  John 
Weslej^  his  biographer  tells  us,  was  the  frequent  meetings 
for  prajer,  which  he  everj^where  appointed  among  his 
followers.  President  Edwards,  in  his  account  of  the 
great  revival  in  New  England,  about  the  year  1740, 
says, ''The  inhabitants  of  many  of  our  towns  are  now 
divided  into  particular  praying  societies;  most  of  the 
people,  old  and  young,  have  voluntarily  associated  them- 
selves in  distinct  companies,  for  social  worship  in  private 
houses."     Dr.  Payson,  of  Portland,  whose  preaching  was 

*See  History  of  the  Great  Reformation,  vol.  ii.,  p.  224. 


SOURCE   OF  HEAT,  485 

signally  blessed  during  his  whole  ministry,  ascribed  his 
success  to  the  united  prayers  of  his  church,  which  was 
divided  into  seven  districts  for  this  purpose.  And  Fin- 
ney, whose  preaching  and  writings  shook  the  half  of 
America,  and  sent  a  wave  through  the  British  churches, 
placed  his  whole  dependence  upon  answer  to  prayers :  in 
the  midst  of  his  most  glorious  work  he  says,  "  Prayer- 
meetings  have  been  numerous  and  frequent  in  most  of 
the  churches;  and  never  have  our  churches  generally 
appeared  to  entertain  so  delightful  and  exalted  ideas  of 
God  as  the  hearer  of  prayer."  From  all  these  facts, 
together  with  the  express  declarations  of  Scripture,  we 
are  warranted  to  conclude  that  there  is  an  established 
connection  between  prayer  and  the  bestowment  of  the 
gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  that  the  more  abundant  those  ex- 
"haltations  of  the  heart,  prayer  and  praise,  the  more 
abundant  will  be  the  blessings  showered  down  from 
heaven  upon  the  souls  of  men. 

Once  more:  As  without  the  ascending  vapors,  collect- 
ing and  descending  in  showers,  the  earth  would  soon 
become  parched,  and  barren,  and  dead ;  so  without  the 
rain  and  dew  of  Divine  Grace,  given  in  answer  to  prayer, 
the  moral  world  would  become  as  iron,  and  its  heavens 
as  brass ;  every  plant  of  holiness,  every  flower  of  piety, 
and  every  blade  of  virtue,  would  soon  droop  and  die. 
Prayer  is  the  life-breath  of  all  true  religion. 

Let  prayer,  therefore,  daily  ascend  as  the  vapors  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  rise  as  clouds  of  incense  before 
the  Throne,  and  this  wilderness  world  shall  yet  blossom 
as  the  rose,  and  flourish  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 


486  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


ANALOGY  VII. 

As  the  warm  rays  of  the  Sun,  while  they  are  stimulating  and  strengthening 
the  plants  and  flowers  of  the  field  through  the  hours  of  the  day,  are  at  the 
same  time  preparing  the  dews  that  are  to  refresh  them  through  the  ivatches 
of  the  night;— so  the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Sun  of  Bighteousness,  while  he 
is  quickening  and  instructing  his  people  in  their  brighter  days,  is  at  the 
same  time  fostering  the  graces  that  are  to  cheer  and  sustain  them  in  the 
darker  seasoyis  of  age  and  adversity. 

Phenomena. 

When  at  the  close  of  a  fervid  summer's  day,  the  Sun 
has  withdrawn  from  view,  and  from  the  dark  bkie  vault 
of  heaven  the  glittering  constellations  shed  down  their 
serene  light  upon  the  earth,  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  the 
grass  of  the  meadow,  and  the  flowers  of  the  garden  be- 
come moist  with  a  fluid  of  the  most  translucent  nature, 
and  which  presently  flows  together  into  minute  globules, 
pure  and  lustrous  as  orient  pearls; — these  are  the  dew- 
drops — phenomena  which  have  ever  delighted  the  eyes 
and  refreshed  the  spirits  of  the  good  and  thoughtful.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  the  ancients,  in  their  ignorance  of 
nature's  operations,  should  have  thought  that  the  dews 
were  actually  shed  from  the  stars,  or  that  the  philoso- 
phers of  the  Dark  Ages  should  have  conceived  that  this 
pure  distillation  of  the  heavens  possessed  subtile  and 
penetrating  powers  beyond  all  earthly  fluids,  or  that  the 
proud  dames  of  those  olden  times  should  have  endeavored 
to  preserve  their  charms  by  stated  ablutions  in  so  pure  a 
liquid.  Ammianus  Marcellinus  ascribed  the  health  and 
longevity  of  mountaineers  to  their  exposure  to  the  dews 
of  night.  The  alchemists  of  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries  employed  it,  as  an  agent  of  superior 
efficacy  in  their  experiments  on  the  solution  of  gold.  And 
the  ladies  of  those  periods  collected  this  "  celestial  wash  " 


SOURCE    OF    HEAT.  487 

by  exposing  fleeces  to  the  influence  of  night,  imagining 
that  it  possessed  the  virtue  of  preserving  both  their 
features  and  complexion  from  the  ravages  of  advancing 
age.  But  the  investigations  and  experiments  of  modern 
science  have  lifted  the  veil  of  mystery  which  the  ignor* 
ance  and  superstition  of  former  ages  had  cast  over  this 
interesting  product  of  nature,  and  revealed  its  true  origin 
and  character. 

The  earth  owes  its  Dew,  no  less  than  its  rain,  to  the 
agency  of  the  Sun.  The  Sun,  as  we  have  had  repeated 
occasions  to  observe,  is  the  mainspring  of  the  world's  life 
and  activity.  From  him  proceed  the  forces  that  work 
out  nearly  all  the  changes  and  productions  observed  in 
nature.  All  life,  plantal  as  well  as  animal,  is  wholly 
dependent  upon  his  unceasing  ministries.  His  rays  are 
indispensable  to  the  growth  and  fruitfulness  of  all  vegeta- 
tion. It  is  under  his  genial  influence  that  the  germ  lying 
in  the  bosom  of  the  buried  seed  is  first  quickened  into 
vital  activity,  and  sends  forth  its  tender  shoot.  And 
when  that  shoot  has  grown  into  a  bush  or  tree,  it  is  from 
his  stimulus  that  its  leaves  derive  their  power  to  breathe; 
that  is,  to  give  out  the  oxygen  which  it  does  not  need, 
and  to  absorb  the  moisture  and  carbonic  acid  and  am- 
monia from  the  atmosphere  necessary  to  build  up  the 
woody  substances  of  which  it  consists.  The  leaves, 
which  are  truly  the  lungs  of  plants,  can  only  perform 
these  important  functions  so  long  as  they  are  stimulated 
by  the  light  of  the  Sun.  x\dd  to  all  this,  that  to  the 
influence  of  the  Sun  all  the  various  species  of  vegetation 
owe  their  peculiarities  of  taste,  smell,  color,  and  other 
properties.  In  short,  their  life,  their  health,  their  growth, 
their  beauty,  and  their  usefulness  are  all  due  to  those 
ethereal  forces  which  daily  visit  them  in  the  solar  beams. 
The  mysterious  powers  of  the  Sun  are  unremittingly  at 

30 


488  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

work,  from   morning   till  evening,  in   fostering,  rearing, 
and    maturing   every   tree,  and   shrub,   and    plant    and 
flower  and  blade  of  grass  that  springs  out  of  the  ground. 
While  the  Sun  is  doing  all  this  for  the  vegetation  of 
our  globe  during  the  day,  he  is  at  the  same  time  prepar- 
ing means  to  refresh  them,  while   absent,  through   the 
watches  of  the  night.     His  warm  rays,  through  all  the 
hours  of  his  shining,  are  drawing  up  from  sea  and  land 
and  lake,  vast  quantities  of  water,  in  the  form  of  invisible 
steam,  and  thus  loading  the  atmosphere  with  aqueous 
vapor;  much  of  this,  as  stated  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
ascends  into  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
is  there  condensed  into  clouds,  and,  in  due  time,  returns 
in  the  form  of  showers ;  much  also  remains  suspended  in 
the  air  near  the  earth's  surface,  part  of  which,  during 
the  night,  is  condensed  and  forms  the  moisture  we  call 
Dew.     This  condensation  takes  place  in  consequence  of 
the  earth's  radiation  of  its  heat  into  space.     The  Sun,  as 
we  have  seen,  pours  a  perpetual  flood  of  heat  upon  the 
earth,  and  thus  warms  the  soil  and  all  else  upon  its  sur- 
face.    This  heat  is  continually  radiated,  or  thrown  back 
into  the  air.     During  the  day,  however,  the  earth's  sur- 
face receives  from  the  Sun  more  heat  than  it  throws  out, 
and  its  temperature  is  thus  kept  up,  and  there  is  no  dew. 
But  in  the  night,  as  no  heat  is  received,  its  surface  is 
soon  reduced  to   a  temperature  lower  than   thai:  of  the 
overlying  air.     And,  as  the  vegetation   and  other  sub- 
stances spread  over  the  soil  become  colder  than  the  atmos- 
phere, they  acquire  the  power  of  condensing  the  vapor, 
with  which  the  air  is  always  more  or  less  charged,  and 
thus  form  dew,  on   the  same   principle  and  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  moisture  formed  on  the  outside  of  a  tumbler 
filled  with  ice-water  on  a  warm  summer's  day — that  mois- 
ture is  dew. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT. 

The  amount  of  dew  deposited  on  any  particular  sub- 
stance is  proportional  to  the  depression  of  its  temperature 
below  the  dew-point ;  the  greatest  quantity  of  dew  being 
found  upon  those  whose  temperature  is  lowest.  Accord- 
ing to  careful  and  extended  observations  made  in  Eng- 
land, it  was  found  that  a  thermometer  placed  on  the  grass, 
fully  exposed  to  the  sky,  after  sunset,  frequently  sank 
10°  Fahr.,  and  sometimes  15°,  below  a  thermometer  sus- 
pended four  feet  from  the  ground ;  hence  the  copiousness 
of  the  dew  usually  found  on  the  grass. 

The  slowness  or  rapidity  with  which  different  bodies 
radiate  the  heat  they  receive  from  the  Sun  depends  both 
on  their  color  and  contexture  ;  and  as  substances  thus  pos- 
sess dissimilar  radiating  powers,  so  they  accumulate  dew 
in  different  degrees.  Rough  and  porous  surfaces  radiate 
heat  more  rapidly  than  smooth  and  dense  ones ;  and,  if 
exposed,  are  sooner  covered  with  dew.  The  grass-plot 
glistens  with  dew,  whilst  the  hard  and  stony  walk  is  un- 
moistened.  So  clear,  colorless  glass  is  very  readily  suf- 
fused with  dampness;  but  polished  metals  are  not  so, 
even  when  dews  are  heavily  condensed  on  other  bodies. 

By  numerous  experiments  made  by  means  of  delicate 
thermometers,  it  has  been  found  that  "every  tree  spread- 
ing its  green  leaves  to  the  sunshine,  or  exposing  its  brown 
branches  to  the  air — every  flower  which  lends  its  beauty 
to  the  earth — possess  different  absorbing  and  radiating 
powers.  The  chalice-like  cup  of  the  pure  white  lily 
floating  on  the  lake — the  variegated  tulip — the  brilliant 
anemone — the  delicate  rose — and  the  intensely  colored 
peony  or  dahlia — have  each  powers  peculiar  to  them- 
selves for  drinking  in  the  warm  life-stream  of  the  Sun, 
and  for  radiatimi:  it  back  aijain  to  the  thirstinf?  atmos- 
phere."  In  this  way  plants  and  flowers,  though  growing 
from  the  same  soil  and  beneath   the  same  sunshine,  are 


490  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

prevented  forever  from  having  the  same  temperature. 
Each  plant  is  so  constituted  as  to  measure  and  regulate 
for  itself  the  degree  of  heat  best  suited  for  its  well-being ; 
and  is  thus  endued  with  functions  which  silently  deter- 
mine the  relative  amount  of  dew  which  shall  wet  its 
colored  leaves.  How  wonderful  is  all  this !  If  the  form 
and  coloring  of  a  flower  excite  our  admiration,  surely, 
when  we  contemplate  such  an  arrangement,  our  admira- 
tion must  be  carried  upward  to  the  higher  feeling  of  de- 
vout astonishment  at  the  perfection  of  the  works  of  the 
great  Designer  of  all. 

From  this  we  are  naturally  led  to  notice  the  prevailing 
color  given  to  the  earth's  surface — Green.  This  is  not 
only  a  lively  and  beautiful  color,  and  the  softest  and  most 
agreeable  to  the  exquisite  sensibility  of  the  eye,  but  also 
highly  favorable  to  radiation.  Green  substances  are 
among  the  best  radiators  of  heat,  and  are,  therefore,  the 
best  qualified  to  condense  the  moisture  of  the  surrounding 
air.  Thus  the  grass  and  the  leaves  of  plants  and  trees, 
which  require  a  constant  supply  of  moisture,  being  mostly 
of  a  green  color,  are  admirably  fitted  to  procure  it. 

In  protracted  seasons  of  warm  weather,  the  heat  of 
the  Sun,  unmitigated  by  any  cloudy  screen,  draws  up- 
ward vast  quantities  of  vapors;  and  the  hot  day  being 
succeeded  by  a  calm,  clear  night,  the  radiation  of  heat 
into  space  is  very  rapid ;  the  natural  result  is  that,  under 
such  circumstances,  the  dew  is  most  copious.  Now,  it  is 
juefc  at  such  a  season,  as  is  obvious,  that  dew  is  most 
necessary,  in  order  to  compensate  for  the  lack  of  rain. 
On  the  other  hand,  in  cloudy  weather,  when  the  solar 
heat  is  moderated,  and  showers  are  of  frequent  occurrence, 
dew  is  less  necessary  to  vegetation ;  and  it  is  precisely 
such  weather  that  is  least  favorable  to  its  formation.  The 
clouds,  like  so  many  screens,  intercept  and  radiate  back 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  4H 

the  heat  transmitted  from  the  earth,  and  thus  prevent 
the  temperature  of  the  ground  from  sinking  to  the  dew- 
point.  Such  is  the  beautiful  balancing  of  the  forces  ap- 
pointed to  distill  upon  the  earth  its  nightly  dews. 

The  dew  may  be  considered  as  a  supplement  to  the 
rain.  In  certain  parts  of  the  world,  and  notably  in 
Palestine,  and  Syria  in  general,  but  little  rain  falls 
from  April  to  September ;  during  this  long  period  the 
vegetation  is  dependent  for  its  moisture  upon  the  dew. 
How  admirable,  then,  the  arrangement  made,  that  the 
dew  should  be  most  copious  at  that  season  of  the  year 
when  the  supply  of  water  from  other  sources  fails ;  and 
not  only  that,  but  also  that  it  should  be  provided  in 
such  abundant  quantities.  Professor  H.  B.  Tristram, 
writing  at  Rasheiya,  says,  "  We  could  here  but  recall  the 
Psalmist's  exf)ression,  'As  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  as 
the  dew  that  descendeth  on  the  mountains  of  Zion  ;'  for 
more  copious  dew  we  never  experienced.  Everything 
was  drenched  with  it,  and  the  tents  were  small  protec- 
tion. The  under  sides  of  our  macintosh  sheets  were 
in  water,  our  guns  were  rusted,  dew-drops  were  hanging 
everywhere." 

How  beneficent  a  provision,  then,  is  the  dew  of  heaven ! 
It  refreshes  every  thirsty  plant,  washes  every  delicate 
flower,  and  gives  a  new  lustre  to  its  finest  tints.  It  cools 
and  revives  the  whole  face  of  nature.  And  how  beau- 
tiful, too,  is  the  dew  on  a  calm  summer's  morning !  As 
soon  as  the  Sun's  earliest  beams  shoot  forth  from  the 
eastern  horizon,  its  innumerable  drops  sparkle  and  play 
with  the  rainbow  colors  of  light,  and  convert  each  lawn, 
each  parterre,  as  into  a  garden  of  diamonds  !  With  such 
a  scene  before  him,  who  but  must  admire  and  adore  that 
Divine  Wisdom,  which,  by  means  the  most  simple,  pro- 
duces the  most  wonderful  results,  and  which  combines 


492  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  directs  all  the  forces  and  elements  of  nature  to  the 
accomplishment  of  the  most  benevolent  designs. 

"  Thou  art,  O  God,  the  life  and  light 
Of  all  this  wondrous  world  we  see; — 
Its  glow  by  day,  its  smile  by  night, 
Are  but  reflections  caught  from  thee  ! 
Where'er  we  turn,  thy  glories  shine, 
And  all  things  bright  and  fair  are  thine," 

Teachings. 

Admirable  as  are  the  arrangements  God  has  made  to 
refresh,  nourish  and  beautify  the  grass  of  the  field,  which 
to-day  is  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  much  more 
so,  we  are  assured,  are  the  provisions  of  grace  which  he 
has  made  to  foster,  invigorate  and  comfort  the  immortal 
spirits  who  are  to  live  before  him  forever.  As  the  Sun 
of  nature,  while  warming  and  stimulating  into  activity 
all  the  functions  of  tree  and  plant  and  flower,  through 
all  the  hours  of  the  day,  is  the  meanwhile  forming  and 
laying  up  in  store  the  moisture  that  is  to  bedew  and 
fractify  them  in  the  night  season ;  so  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness, lohile  he  is  quiclcening,  enlightening  and  sancti- 
fijing  his  'people,  in  their  hrighter  days,  is  at  the  same  time 
fostering  and  strengthening  the  graces  of  faith  and  love 
and  hope,  tchich  are  to  sustain  and  cheer  them  in  tfie 
darker  seasons  of  trial,  age  and  infirmity. 

Piety  in  the  soul,  like  the  plant  in  the  soil,  is  a  growth  ; 
and  that  growth  is  carried  on,  in  the  one  case  as  in  the 
other,  under  the  quickening  and  benignant  beams  that 
descend  from  on  high.  At  first,  we  are  but  babes  in 
Christ;  then,  nourished  by  Divine  grace,  we  gradually 
increase  in  spiritual  wisdom  and  stature ;  and,  ultimately, 
we  attain  to  mature  manhood.  Under  the  teachings 
of  the  Divine  word  and  Spirit,  our  faith,  our  love,  and 
our  hope  acquire  strength  and  stability.     In  the  habitual 


SOURCE   OF  HEAT.  493 

exercise  of  the  duties  of  piety — prayer,  praise  and  filial 
obedience — we  become  more  sensible  of  God's  abiding 
presence ;  and  the  sense  of  that  presence  becomes  more 
and  more  delightful  to  our  souls,  so  that  presently  we 
lind  a  calm  repose  in  the  thought  that  "  God  is  near." 
Receiving  more  and  more  light,  we  come  to  ''esteem  all 
his  precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be  right,"  and  to  see 
the  reasonableness  and  to  experience  the  happiness  of 
cheerful  obedience  to  them  at  all  times.  The  Divine 
Character  comes  to  appear  more  amiable,  and  more  excel- 
lent and  precious,  from  day  to  day.  We  learn  to  trust 
in  God — in  his  promises  and  in  his  providences — with 
more  steady  calmness  and  serenity.  We  are  drawn  more 
and  more  frequently  to  renew  our  applicatioij  to  the 
righteousness  and  blood  of  Christ,  and  to  renew  also  our 
covenant  engagements  with  him.  We  acquire  a  deeper 
sense  of  our  own  un worthiness,  of  our  ill-deserts,  and  are 
thus  taught  to  receive  the  gifts  of  grace  and  the  bounties 
of  providence  with  greater  thankfulness.  We  become 
more  fully  and  practically  convinced  of  the  vanity  of 
things  seen  and  temporal,  and  are  thus  more  powerfully 
moved  to  set  our  affections  on  thincfs  above.  Imbued 
more  and  more  with  heavenly  wisdom,  we  are  brought 
to  feel  it  our  duty,  and  to  find  it  our  happiness,  to  resign 
our  wills  and  our  interests  all  to  the  will  of  God,  and  to 
say  from  the  depths  of  our  soul,  "Father,  not  my  will, 
but  thine,  be  done ;  do  with  me  as  it  seemeth  good  in 
thy  sight." 

While  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  carrying  on  this 
process  of  growth  in  grace,  during  the  brighter  days  of 
the  Christian's  experience,  he  is  all  along,  as  is  obvious, 
fostering  and  strengthening  the  principles,  which  alone 
can  sustain  and  comfort  him  in  the  dark  days  of  adversity 
and  old  age.     He   is  preparing  the  dews  which  are  to 


494  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

refresh  and  cheer  his  soul  in  the  time  of  trouble.  What 
has  thus  served  to  purify  the  believer's  heart  has  served 
also  to  fortify  it  against  the  onsets  of  affliction.  His 
religious  instruction  and  religious  course  of  life  have 
gradually  prepared  his  mind  for  all  the  events  of  this 
inconstant  state.  He  has  put  on  the  spiritual  armour 
which  God  has  provided,  and  is  prepared  for  conflict  and 
trial.  Afflictions  cannot  attack  him  by  surprise,  for  he 
has  been  taught  to  expect  them ;  neither  can  they  over- 
whelm him,  for  he  has  secured  the  help  of  an  Almighty 
Friend  born  for  adversity.  "  Therefore  he  is  not  over- 
come by  disappointment,  when  that  which  is  mortal,  dies; 
or  when  that  which  is  mutable,  begins  to  change ;  nor 
when  that  which  he  knew  to  be  transient,  passes  away." 
He  knows  who  hath  said.  All  things  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God,  and  has  learned  to  look  up  to 
him,  not  with  reverence  only,  but  with  trust  and  hope. 
His  sources  of  comfort  remain  when  the  world  forsakes 
him,  and  the  things  of  the  world  prove  of  no  avail.  They 
remain  to  him  in  sickness,  as  in  health ;  in  poverty,  as 
in  the  midst  of  riches;  in  his  dark  and  solitary  hours, 
no  less  than  when  surrounded  with  friends  and  so;:iety. 
His  chief  enjoyments  the  world  did  not  bestow,  and  it  is 
not  in  the  power  of  the  world  to  take  them  away.  God, 
who  is  above  all  and  blessed  forever,  is  his  Almighty  and 
Unchan^feable  Friend.  God  is  the  never-failing  source 
of  his  happiness  and  joy.  God  is  his  refuge  and  strength, 
a  very  present  help  in  time  of  trouble.  Whatever 
storms  may  arise,  or  enemies  assail,  "  he  shall  hide  him 
in  his  pavilion,  in  the  secret  of  his  tabernacle  shall  he 
hide  him." 


SODUCK   Oi;'    HKAT.  495 

ANALOGY   VIII. 

As  the  Trees,  Plants  and  Flowers  that  have  their  hovie  more  directly  under 
the  Sw/i's  raus  exceed  in  luxuriance,  fruitfulness,  and  heautu  those  that 
have  their  habitation  in  regions  more  remote; — so  the  Souls  that  live 
more  immediately  beneath  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Eighteousness  excel 
in  spiritual  vigor,  fruits  of  grace,  and  beauty  of  holiness  those  who  are 
content  to  live  at  a  greater  distance. 

Phenomena. 

The  character  of  vegetation  is  mainly  determined  by 
climate ;  and  the  climate  of  any  particular  region  is  de- 
cided by  its  position  in  reference  to  the  Sun.  Where 
the  Sun  is  vertical,  or  nearly  vertical,  there  its  luminous, 
calorific  and  chemical  properties  are  most  powerful  in 
their  action,  and  the  vegetation  most  luxuriant  in  its 
growth  and  fruitfulness ;  and  where  its  rays  fall  most 
obliquely,  there  they  are  most  feeble  in  their  influence, 
and  the  vegetation  most  humble  in  its  forms  and  pro- 
ductions. 

If  we  survey  those  cold  and  distant  regions  embraced 
within  the  arctic  circle,  where  the  Sun's  rays  even  in  sum- 
mer do  but  glance  over  the  surface  of  the  earth,  while  for  a 
large  portion  of  the  year  they  are  withdrawn  altogether, 
we  shall  find  only' the  humblest  representatives  of  the  vege- 
table kingdom — mosses,  lichens,  scurvy-grass  and  a  few 
water-lilies.  From  these  the  scattered  human  occupants 
are  forced  to  wring  a  considerable  part  of  their  subsis- 
tence, boiling  some  into  soup,  and  converting  others  into 
coarse  cakes  or  bread.  In  certain  sheltered  and  favorable 
spots,  two  or  three  different  kinds  of  diminutive  bushes 
are  found,  bearing  as  many  kinds  of  small  berries ;  and 
these  are  esteemed  as  rare  luxuries. 

As  we  advance  southward,  whether  in  the  New  World 
or  in  the  Old,  there  is  a  progressive  increase  both  in  the 


^<)6  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

variety  and  abundance  of  plantal  growths.  Let  us  fol- 
low a  meridian  line  down  through  Europe.  On  reaching 
the  North  Cape,  we  discover  a  marked  addition  made  to 
the  arctic  vegetation — tree  life  appears,  but  in  a  very 
lowly  form.  We  first  encounter  the  birch  and  the  wil- 
low, but  only  as  dwarfed  and  scrubby  shrubs.  Then 
come  the  hardy  fir  and  spruce,  not  as  tall  and  graceful 
trees,  but  rising  only  to  the  height  of  a  few  feet,  and 
throwing  out  lateral  branches.  The  hazel  and  the  hoary 
alder  soon  follow.  As  we  advance,  to  these  are  presently 
added  the  sycamore  and  the  mountain-ash.  On  coming 
to  the  sandy  soil  of  Denmark,  we  pass  through  fine 
groves  of  beech.  Meanwhile,  the  oak,  which  began  its 
strusidinsr  existence  as  far  north  as  Drontheim,  in  Nor- 

CO  O  ' 

way,  has  by  degrees  grown  stronger  and  nobler;  and 
about  the  latitude  of  London  we  find  it  rank  as  the 
monarch  of  the  forest.  As  for  the  cereals,  barley,  rye 
and  oats  are  the  first  to  appear ;  these  begin  to  be  culti- 
vated as  far  north  as  latitude  70°,  and,  like  the  forest 
trees,  gradually  improve  in  quantity  and  quality  as  we 
descend  to  milder  climates. 

Advancing  into  France  and  Germany,  we  come  among 
fields  of  wheat,  orchards  and  vineyards,  gardens  of  flowers 
and  esculents ;  and  our  eyes,  ere  long,  are  delighted  with 
the  sight  of  citrons  and  peaches  and  walnuts.  And  when 
we  reach  the  southern  extremities  of  this  continent — 
Spain,  Italy  and  Greece — we  witness  another  notable  ad- 
vance in  the  vegetation.  Here  we  behold,  in  addition  to 
what  we  have  just  contemplated,  the  cypress,  the  chest- 
nut, and  the  cork-tree;  the  olive  and  the  oleander;  the 
orange  and  lemon  trees  blooming  with  rich  perfume;  and 
the  pomegranate  and  the  myrtle  growing  wild  upon  the 
rocks.  How  charming  the  face  of  nature  in  these  happy 
climes !      How  marvellous  the  changes  through   which 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  497 

we  have  passed  in  our  southward  journey !  If  an 
Esquimaux  from  Greenland,  or  a  Fin  from  Lapland 
should  be  suddenly  dropped  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  over- 
spread with  such  vegetation,  with  what  wonder  and  de- 
light would  he  contemplate  its  richness  and  its  beauty 
as  compared  with  his  own  bleak  and  barren  home ! 
But  we  have  not  reached  the  end  of  the  scale  of  vegetable 
progress  yet. 

We  now  leave  Europe,  and  pass  within  the  tropics. 
Here  the  three  prime  stimulants  of  vegetable  growth — 
light  and  heat  and  moisture,  all  products  of  the  Sun — 
prevail  in  their  highest  degrees ;  and  here,  consequently, 
the  vegetation  of  our  world  attains  its  highest  state  of 
luxuriance,  fruitfulness  and  beauty.  No  verbal  descrip- 
tion can  convey  to  those  who  have  never  seen  them  an 
adequate  impression  of  the  richness  and  profusion  of 
tropical  growths — of  the  dense  and  magnificent  forests, 
the  abundance  and  variety  of  aromatic  plants,  and  the 
gorgeous  flowers  and  dazzling  orchids,  which  everywhere 
adorn  the  scenery.  All  travellers  through  those  regions 
have  been  overwhelmed  with  astonishment  at  the  exuber- 
ance and  glory  of  plantal  life ;  they  can  find  no  words 
adequate  to  express  their  admiration,  Darwin  thus  labors 
and  struggles  to  convey  to  his  readers  the  impressions 
he  received  in  some  of  his  rambles  throuorh  Brazil: 
"  While  quietly  walking  along  the  shady  pathways,  and 
admiring  each  successive  view,  I  wished  to  find  language 
to  express  my  ideas.  Epithet  after  epithet  was  found 
too  weak  to  convey  to  those  who  have  not  visited  the 
intertropical  regions  the  sensation  of  delight  which  the 
mind  experiences.  I  have  said  that  the  plants  in  a  hot- 
house fail  to  communicate  a  just  idea  of  the  vegetation, 
yet  I  must  recur  to  it.  The  land  is  one  great  wild,  un- 
tidy, luxuriant   hot-house,  made  by  Nature  herself,  but 


498  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

taken  possession  of  by  man,  who  has  studded  it  with  gay 
houses  and  formal  gardens.  How  great  would  be  the  de- 
sire in  any  admirer  of  Nature  to  behold,  if  such  were 
possible,  the  scenery  of  another  planet !  Yet  to  any  per- 
son in  Europe  it  may  be  truly  said  that,  at  the  distance 
of  only  a  few  degrees  from  his  native  soil,  the  glories  of 
another  world  are  open  to  him.  In  my  last  walk  I  stopped 
again  and  again  to  gaze  on  those  beauties,  and  endeavored 
to  fix  in  my  mind  forever  an  impression  which  at  the 
time  I  knew  sooner  or  later  must  fail.  The  form  of  the 
orange  tree,  the  cocoanut,  the  palm,  the  mango,  the  fern- 
tree,  the  banana,  will  remain  clear  and  separate;  but  the 
thousand  beauties  which  unite  them  into  one  perfect 
scene  must  fade  away ;  yet  they  will  leave,  like  a  tale 
told  in  childhood,  a  picture  full  of  indistinct,  but  most 
beautiful  figures." 

In  this  middle  zone  of  the  globe  flourish  the  graceful 
palms  in  all  their  varieties ;  the  spice-bearing  trees,  the 
nutmeg,  the  clove,  the  cinnamon,  and  the  pepper  tree. 
Here  also  are  found  the  odoriferous  sandal,  the  ebony, 
the  banyan,  and  the  teak ;  the  coffee-tree,  and  the 
tamarind ;  the  frankincense,  and  the  myrrh,  and  other 
incense-bearing  plants. 

The  fruitfulness  of  the  intertropical  region  is  equally 
remarkable.  Trees  and  plants  yield  far  more  abundantly 
than  in  any  other  parts.  Here  nearly  all  that  man  needs 
for  his  support  is  provided  for  him  almost  spontaneously. 
The  bread  tree  is  loaded  with  fruit  eight  months  in  the 
year;  four  hundred  cocoanuts  may  be  gathered  from  one 
palm;  and  six  hundred  pounds  of  sago  from  a  single 
tree.  And  a  small  amount  of  labor  is  rewarded  with  the 
most  abundant  returns ;  from  one-quarter  of  an  acre 
3,000,  and  even  4,000,  pounds  of  bananas  can  easily  be 
raised.     So  of  a  vast  variety  of  other  fruits  and  nourish- 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  501 

ing  productions — the  earth  brings  them  forth  with  ease 
and  in  rich  profusion. 

It  is  farther  to  be  observed  that,  the  vegetation  of 
the  tropical  regions  is  arrayed  in  colors  of  unrivalled 
richness.  Here,  where  the  Sun  shines  forever  unchange- 
ably bright,  every  plantal  growth  wears  a  hue  the  most 
intense  and  perfect  after  its  kind.  The  darkest  green 
prevails  over  the  leaves  of  plants;  the  flowers  and  fruits 
are  tinctured  with  colors  of  the  deepest  dye,  whilst  the 
plumage  of  the  birds  is  of  the  most  variegated  descrip- 
tion and  of  the  richest  hues.  In  the  temperate  climates 
everything  is  of  a  more  subdued  variety ;  the  flowers  are 
less  bright  of  hue ;  the  prevailing  tint  of  the  winged 
tribes  is  a  russet  brown.  In  the  colder  portions  of  the 
earth  there  is  but  little  color ;  the  flowers  are  generally 
white  or  yellow,  and  the  animals  exhibit  no  other  con- 
trast than  that  which  white  and  black  afford. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  gradation  observable  in  the 
forms,  fruits  and  beauties  of  the  vegetation  of  our  globe 
as  we  pass  from  its  polar  to  its  tropical  regions, — the 
character  of  plantal  growths  being  determined  through- 
out the  long  scale  mainly  by  its  position  in  reference  to 
the  Sun. 

Teachings. 

To  all  that  we  have  now  observed  to  prevail  in  the 
kingdom  of  plantal  life,  we  find  a  striking  parallel  in  the 
domain  of  spiritual  life.  As  the  trees,  plants,  and  flowers, 
which  have  their  home  more  directly  under  the  Sun's 
rays,  exceed  in  luxuriance,  fruitfulness,  and  beauty  those 
that  have  their  habitation  in  regions  more  remote ; — so 
the  souls  that  lire  more  immediately  beneath  the  heams  of 
tJie  Sun  of  Righteousness  excel  in  spiritual  vigor,  fruits 
of  grace,  and  heauty  of  holiness  those  icho  are  content  to 
live  at  a  greater  distance. 


502  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

If  we  could  see,  with  the  natural  eye,  the  forms,  and 
sizes,  and  colors  of  the  plants  of  piety,  as  we  can  those 
which  spring  out  of  the  soil,  we  should  behold  not  only 
as  great  a  variety,  but  also  a  similar  gradation  among  the 
former  as  among  the  latter — we  should  have  Arctic 
piety,  Temperate  piety,  and  Tropical  piety. 

There  is  a  class  of  Christians  that  may  be  aptly  com- 
pared to  the  plantal  growths  of  the  Arctic  regions — mosses, 
lichens,  lowly  bushes,  dwarfed  trees — which,  owing  to 
the  cold  and  dreary  climate  they  occupy,  never  attain  to 
any  size,  or  strength,  or  beauty.  Like  these,  many  of 
the  professed  followers  of  Christ,  live  at  such  at  distance 
from  him,  the  Fountain  of  spiritual  light  and  heat,  that 
they  remain  dwarfish,  and  fruitless,  and  featureless 
through  all  their  days.  The  germ  of  life,  indeed,  has 
been  implanted  within  them,  but  it  does  not  thrive  or 
grow,  for  it  is  not  nourished  with  the  word  of  truth,  nor 
refreshed  by  the  dews  of  prayer,  nor  quickened  by  the 
warm  beams  of  grace,  as  it  might  and  should  be.  They 
live,  and  choose  to  live,  in  a  country  that  is  remote  and 
cold,  and  dreary,  and  where  all  the  powers  of  the  soul 
remain  barren  and  stunted.  The  faith  that  is  in  them 
is  so  feeble  as  to  inspire  but  little  activity,  their  love  so 
languid  as  seldom  to  prompt  to  an  effort  or  a  sacrifice, 
and  their  hope  so  faint  as  scarce  to  awaken  a  gleam  of 
joy.  Their  inward  frame  is  as  a  continuous  gray  and 
joyless  arctic  day.  Of  the  happy  experiences  of  living 
and  elevated  piety  they  know  as  little  as  doth  the 
dweller  of  Greenland  of  the  luxuriant  scenes,  fragrant 
flowers,  and  luscious  fruits  of  the  tropics.  Abiding  at 
such  a  distance  from  Christ  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
and  living  so  fsxr  beneath  their  privileges,  they  wrong 
and  they  famish  their  own  souls. 

A  second  class  of  Christians  may  be  likened  to  the 


SOURCE    OF    HEAT.  503 

more  vigorous  and  fruitful  trees  and  plants  of  the  Tem- 
perate Zone.  These  have  their  roots  imbedded  in  richer 
soil,  and  their  branches  spread  out  beneath  clearer  and 
warmer  skies.  They  are  persons  of  more  enlightened 
and  active  piety  than  the  former.  They  are  firm  in  the 
faith  and  settled  in  the  practice  of  the  Gospel.  They 
eno-age  in  the  devotions  and  discharare  the  duties  of  re- 
ligion,  not  from  mere  impulse  or  feeling,  but  from  prin- 
ciple. They  habitually  read  the  Word  and  offer  prayer, 
attend  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  contribute  of  their 
substance  for  the  support  and  furtherance  of  the  Gospel. 
Their  purpose  of  life,  however,  is  rather  to  maintain 
"the  even  tenor  of  their  way,"  than  to  press  forward,  or 
to  rise  higher,  in  spiritual  attainments.  They  believe 
that  they  should  grow  in  grace;  yet,  mingling  much 
with  the  world,  and  breathing  long  in  its  depressing 
atmosphere,  they  make  no  very  marked  progress;  thoy 
are  rarely  elevated  to  very  ardent  experience,  or  very 
joyous  hopes.  But  the  root  of  the  matter  is  in  them; 
they  have  faith,  and  prove  its  existence  and  genuineness 
by  their  readiness  to  aid  in  every  good  work.  Like 
trees  planted  by  the  rivers  of  waters,  tlic}'  bring  forth 
their  fruit  in  its  season  ;  their  leaves  also  preserve  their 
verdure,  and  fade  not.  Christians  of  this  grade  are  rela- 
tively numerous  in  every  congregation  ;  they  compose 
largely  the  strength  of  the  church,  and  to  their  labors 
and  contributions  her  benevolent  enterprises  owe,  in  no 
small  measure,  their  success  at  home  and  abroad.  Never- 
theless, in  their  own  souls,  they  come  short  of  the  fulness 
of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  For  this,  Ave  are 
to  look  to 

Another  and  a  third  class  of  Christians,  who  may  be 
compared  to  the  luxuriant  and  beautiful  plantal  growth 
of  the    Tropical    Regions.     These   are,  in    important  re- 


504  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

spects,  as  much  in  advance  of  the  second  class,  as  the 
second  is  of  the  first.  They  have  made  greater  attain- 
ments in  the  divine  life — in  the  renunciation  of  the 
world,  the  crucifixion  of  the  flesh,  the  submission  of  the 
will  and  desires,  and  the  consecration  of  the  whole  soul 
to  God  and  his  service.  They  have  risen  to  higher 
spiritual  experience — to  the  full  assurance  of  faith,  the 
witness  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  love  that  casteth  out  all 
fear — to  the  peace  which  passeth  all  understanding,  and 
the  joys  that  are  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  Having 
made  their  abode  as  beneath  the  direct  radiance  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  every  faculty  is  graciously  stimu- 
lated, and  every  affection  blooms  forth  in  tropical  beauty 
and  perfection.  Contemplating  so  habitually,  and  admir- 
ing so  devoutly  his  Divine  Excellencies — his  purity,  his 
tenderness,  his  mercy,  his  sweetness,  his  beauty,  his  love 
— they  have  been  moulded  into  his  likeness,  and  assimi- 
lated to  his  Spirit.  "  We,  with  open  face,"  saith  the 
apostle,  "  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord, 
are  changed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory, 
even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord."  In  them  the  fruits 
of  the  Spirit  do  abound — love,  joy,  peace,  Ion gsuffe ring, 
gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meekness,  and  temperance; 
they  live  in  the  Spirit;  they  also  walk  in  the  Spirit, 
But  as  the  fertility  and  fruitfulness  of  Canaan  were  best 
set  forth  by  a  sample  from  the  vines  of  Eschol,  so  the 
virtues  and  graces  of  this  higher  and  brighter  zone  of 
spiritual  life  will  be  best  understood  and  appreciated  by 
living  instances.  An  example  or  two,  therefore,  will  be 
in  place  here. 

Rev.  Edward  Payson,  D.  D.,  of  Portland,  Maine,  was 
a  man  of  fine  intellectual  powers  and  scholarly  attain- 
ments, and  at  the  same  time  a  man  equally  distinguished 
for  his  personal  piety  and  public  usefulness.     His  course 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  505 

from  the  day  of  his  conversion,  so  to  speak,  was  toward 
the  warm  and  sunny  south,  and  the  years  of  his  fruitful 
life  were  spent  for  the  most  part,  as  beneath  the  tropic 
skies.  In  a  letter  to  his  sister,  September  19,  1827,  he 
describes  his  frame  of  mind  in  the  following  graphic 
manner :  "  Were  I  to  adopt  the  figurative  language  of 
Bunyan,  I  might  date  this  letter  from  the  land  of  Beulah, 
of  which  I  have  been  for  some  weeks  a  happy  inhabitant. 
The  celestial  city  is  full  in  my  view.  Its  glories  beam 
upon  me,  its  odors  are  wafted  to  me,  its  sounds  strike 
upon  my  ears,  and  its  spirit  is  breathed  into  my  heart. 
Nothing  separates  me  from  it  but  the  river  of  death, 
which  now  appears  but  as  an  insignificant  rill,  that  may 
be  crossed  at  a  single  step,  whenever  God  shall  give  per- 
mission. The  Sun  of  Righteousness  has  been  gradually 
drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  appearing  larger  and  brighter 
as  he  approached,  and  now  he  fills  the  whole  hemi- 
sphere ;  pouring  forth  a  flood  of  glory,  in  which  I  seem 
to  float  like  an  insect  in  the  beams  of  the  Sun ;  exulting, 
yet  almost  trembling,  while  I  gaze  on  this  excessive  bright- 
ness, and  wondering,  with  unutterable  wonder,  why  God 
should  deign  thus  to  shine  upon  a  sinful  worm.  A  sin- 
gle heart  and  a  single  tongue  seem  altogether  inadequate 
to  my  wants:  I  want  a  whole  heart  for  every  separate 
emotion,  and  a' whole  tongue  to  express  that  emotion," 

Another  tropical  saint.  Lady  Maxwell,  relating  her  in- 
ward and  spiritual  exercises,  says,  ''  Time  would  fail  me 
to  tell  of  the  numberless  manifestations  of  divine  love  and 
power  that  have  been  granted  unto  me.  I  have,  though 
deeply  unworthy,  been  favored  with  such  wonderful  let- 
tings  into  Deity  as  no  language  can  describe  or  explain ; 
but  the  whole  soul  dilates  itself  in  the  exquisite  enjoy- 
ment; so  refined,  so  pure,  so  tempered  with  sacred  awe,  so 
guarded  by  heavenly  solemnity,  as  efiectually  to  prevent 

31 


506  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

all  irregularity  of  desires.  These,  with  every  power  of 
the  mind,  bow  in  holy  subjection  before  Jehovah.  Surely 
the  feelings  of  the  soul  on  these  memorable  occasions 
are  nearly  similar  to  those  enjoyed  by  the  heavenly 
inhabitants." 

Another  devoted  disciple  of  Jesus,  Mr.  James  Brainerd 
Taylor,  has  left  the  following  interesting  and  instructive 
account  of  what  may  be  designated  as  his  passage  from 
the  Temperate  to  the  Tropical  Zone  of  religious  ex- 
perience :  "  I  felt  that  I  needed  something  which  I  did 
not  possess.  There  was  a  void  within,  which  must  be 
filled,  or  I  could  not  be  happy.  My  earnest  desire  then 
was,  as  it  had  been  ever  since  I  professed  religion  six 
years  before,  that  all  love  of  the  world  might  be  destroyed 
— all  selfishness  extirpated — pride  banished — unbelief  re- 
moved— all  idols  dethroned — everything  hostile  to  holi- 
ness, and  opposed  to  the  divine  will,  crucified ;  that 
holiness  to  the  Lord  might  be  engraved  on  my  heart, 
and  evermore  characterize  my  conversation.  My  mind 
was  led  to  reflect  on  what  would  probably  be  my  future 
situation.  It  recurred  to  me,  I  am  to  he  hereafter  a  min- 
ister of  tJie  Gospel.  But  how  shall  I  be  able  to  preach  in 
my  present  state  of  mind  ?  I  cannot — never  ;  no,  never 
shall  I  be  able  to  do  it  with  pleasure,  without  great  over- 
turnings  in  my  soul.  I  felt  that  I  needed  tliat,  for  which 
I  was  then,  and  for  a  long  time  had  been,  hungering  and 
thirsting.  I  desired  it,  not  for  my  benefit  only,  but  for 
that  of  the  church  and  the  world.  At  this  very  junc- 
ture I  was  most  delightfully  conscious  of  giving  up  All 
to  God.  I  w\as  enabled  in  my  heart  to  say,  '  Here,  Lord, 
take  me,  take  my  whole  soul,  and  seal  me  thine — thine 
now,  and  thine  forever.  If  thou  wilt,  thou  canst  make 
me  clean.'  There  then  ensued  such  emotions  as  I  never 
before  experienced — all  was  calm  and   tranquil,   silent, 


SOUECE  OF  HEAT.  507 

•solemn — and  a  heaven  of  love  pervaded  my  whole  soul. 
I  had  a  witness  of  God's  love  to  me,  and  of  mine  to  him. 
Shortly  after,  I  was  dissolved  in  tears  of  love  and  grati- 
tude to  our  blessed  Lord.  The  name  of  Jesus  was  precious 
to  me,  'twas  music  in  my  ear.  He  came  as  King,  and 
took  full  possession  of  my  heart ;  and  I  was  enabled  to 
say,  Let  him,  as  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  reign 
in  me,  reign  without  a  rival  forever ! — Since  that  blessed 
season  I  have  enjoyed  times  of  refreshment,  in. which  I 
have  gained  neartr  access  to  God.  I  have  enjoyed  his 
presence  from  day  to  day.  Not  one,  T  believe,  has  passed, 
in  which  I  have  not  had  the  witness  in  myself  that  I 
am  born  from  above,  0  the  peace  which  I  have  had,  and 
joy  in  tlie  Holy  Ghost !  It  has  flowed  as  a  river.  I  have 
been  happy  in  my  Lord.  I  have  exulted  in  the  God  of 
my  salvation  ! " 

That  great  and  good  man,  Jonathan  Edwards,  presi- 
dent of  Yale  College,  equally  distinguished  for  his  learn- 
ing and  piety,  has  left  a  very  full  and  instructive  account 
of  his  religious  exercises ;  and  the  following  extracts  from 
that  account  will  sufficiently  indicate  how  immediately 
beneath  the  briirht  and  beniirnant  beams  of  the  Sun  of 
RiilhteousnGss  he  lived,  and  what  srracious  fruits  he  bore: 
''After  this,  my  sense  of  divine  things  gradually  in- 
creased, and  became  more  and  more  lively,  and  had  more 
of  that  inward  sweetness.  The  appearance  of  everything 
was  altered;  there  seemed  to  be,  as  it  were,  a  calm,  sweet 
cast,  or  appearance,  of  divine  glory,  in  almost  everything. 
God's  excellency,  his  wisdom,  his  purity  and  love,  seemed 
to  appear  in  everything;  in 'the  Sun  and  moon  and  stars; 
in  the  clouds  and  blue  sky;  in  the  grass,  flowers,  trees; 
in  the  water  and  all  nature.  .  .  .  *.  Scarce  anything, 
among  all  the  works  of  nature,  was  so  sweet  to  me  as 
thunder  end  lightning:  formerly,   nothing  had   been  so 


508  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

terrible  to  me ;  but  now,  on  the  contrary,  it  rejoiced  me. 
I  felt  God,  so  to  speak,  at  the  first  appearance  of  a  thunder 
storm ;  and  used  to  take  the  opportunity,  at  such  times, 
to  fix  myself  in  order  to  view  the  clouds,  and  see  the 
lightnings  play,  and  hear  the  majestic  and  awful  voice  of 
God's  thunder,  which  oftentimes  was  exceedingly  enter- 
taining, leading  me  to  sweet  contemplations  of  my  great 

and  glorious  God I  had  vehement  longings  of  soul 

after  God  and  Christ,  and  after  more  holiness,  wherewith 

my  heart  seemed  to  be  full,  and  ready  to  break 

My  mind  was  greatly  fixed  on  divine  things ;  almost  per- 
petually  in  the  contemplation  of  them.  I  spent  most  of 
my  time  in  thinking  of  divine  things,  year  after  year; 
often  walking  alone  in  the  woods,  and  solitary  places,  for 
meditation,  soliloquy  and  prayer,  and  converse  with  God. 
I  was  almost  constantly  in  ejaculatory  prayer,  wherever 
I  was.  Prayer  seemed  to  be  natural  to  me,  as  the  breath 
by  which  the  inward  burnings  of  my  heart  had  vent.  .  .  . 
I  felt  a  burning  desire  to  be  in  everything  a  complete 
Christian  ;  and  conformed  to  the  blessed  image  of  Christ ; 
and  that  I  might  live,  in  all  things,  according  to  the  pure, 
sweet,  and  blessed  rules  of  the  gospel.  I  had  an  eager 
thirsting  after  progress  in  these  things,  which  put  me 
upon  pursuing  and  pressing  after  them.  It  was  my  con- 
tinual strife  day  and  night,  and  constant  inquiry,  how  I 
should  he  more  holy,  and  live  more  holily,  and  more  be- 
coming a  child  of  God,  and  a  disciple  of  Christ.  .  .  .  The 
heaven  I  desired  was  a  heaven  of  holiness;  to  be  with 
God,  and  to  spend  my  eternity  in  divine  love,  and  holy 
communion  with  Christ.  My  mind  was  very  much  taken 
up  with  contemplations  on  heaven,  and  the  enjoyments 
there ;  and  living  there  in  perfect  holiness,  humility  and 
love.  .  .  .  Holiness  appeared  to  me  to  be  of  a  sweet, 
pleasant,  charming,  serene,  calm  nature;  which  brought 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  509 

an  inexpressible  purity,  brightness,  peacefulness  and  rav- 
ishment to  the  soul.  In  other  words,  that  it  made  the 
soul  like  a  field  or  garden  of  God,  with  all  manner  of 
pleasant  flowers ;  all  pleasant,  delightful,  undisturbed ; 
enjoying  a  sweet  calm,  and  the  gently  vivifying  beams 
of  the  Sun.  The  soul  of  a  true  Christian,  appeared  to 
me  like  such  a  little  white  flower  as  we  see  in  the  spring 
of  the  year;  low  and  humble  on  the  ground,  opening  its 
bosom  to  receive  the  pleasant  beams  of  the  Sun's  glory; 
rejoicing  as  it  were  in  a  calm  rapture ;  diff'using  around 
a  sweet  fragrancy ;  standing  peacefully  and  lovingly,  in 
the  midst  of  other  flowers  round  about ;  all  in  like  man- 
ner opening  their  bosoms,  to  drink  in  the  light  of  the 
Sun.  ...  I  had  great  longings  for  the  advancement  of 
Christ's  kingdom  in  the  world,  and  my  secret  prayer  used 
to  be,  in  great  part,  taken  up  in  praying  for  it.  If  I  heard 
the  least  hint  of  anything  that  happened,  in  any  part 
of  the  world,  that  appeared,  in  some  respect  or  other,  to 
have  a  favorable  aspect  on  the  interests  of  Christ's  king- 
dom, my  soul  eagerly  catched  at  it;  and  it  would 
much    animate    and    refresh    me.      I  used    to   read  the 

public   newspapers  mainly   for  that  end 

I  had  the  greatest  delight  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  of  any 
book  whatsoever.  Oftentimes  in  reading  it,  every  word 
seemed  to  touch  my  heart.  I  felt  a  harmony  between 
something  in  my  heart,  and  those  sweet  and  powerful 
words.  I  seemed  often  to  see  so  much  light  exhibited 
by  every  sentence,  and  such  a  refreshing  food  communi- 
cated, that  I  could  not  get  along  in  reading ;  often  dwell- 
ing long  on  one  sentence,  to  see  the  wonders  contained 
in  it ;  and  yet  almost  every  sentence  seemed  to  be  full 

of  wonders I  have  sometimes  had  a  sense  of  the 

excellent  fullness  of  Christ,  and  his  meetness  and  suit- 
ableness as  a  Saviour ;  whereby  he  has  appeared  to  me, 


510  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

far  above  all,  the  chief  of  ten-thousands.  Once,  having 
retired  into  the  woods  for  my  health,  I  had  a  view  that 
for  me  was  extraordinary,  of  the  glory  of  the  Son  of 
God,  as  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  and  his  won- 
derful, great,  full,  pure  and  sweet  grace  and  love,  and 
meek  and  gentle  condescension.  This  grace  which  ap- 
peared so  calm  and  sweet,  appeared  also  great  above  the 
heavens.  The  person  of  Christ  appeared  ineffably  excel- 
lent with  an  excellency  great  enough  to  swallow  up  all 
thought  and  conception — which  continued,  as  near  as  I 
can  judge,  about  an  hour ;  which  kept  me  the  greater  part 
of  the  time,  in  a  flood  of  tears,  and  weeping  aloud.  I 
felt  an  ardency  of  soul  to  be,  what  I  know  not  otherwise 
how  to  express,  emptied  and  annihilated ;  to  lie  in  the 
dust,  and  to  be  full  of  Christ  alone ;  to  love  him  with  a 
holy  and  pure  love  ;  to  trust  in  him  ;  to  live  upon  him ; 
to  serve  and  follow  him ;  and  to  be  perfectly  sanctified 
and  made  pure,  with  a  divine  and  heavenly  purity.  I 
have,  several  other  times,  had  views  very  much  of  the 
same  nature,  and  which  have  had  the  same  effects  upon 
my  mind." — Such  was  the  inner  life  of  this  distinguished 
philosopher,  such  the  bright  and  happy  clime  he  had 
reached  and  in  which  he  spent  his  useful  days. 

Examples  such  as  the  foregoing  might  be  multiplied 
indefinitely,  as  they  may  be  found  in  all  ages  of  the 
church,  and  among  all  classes  of  Christians.  I  shall  add, 
however,  but  one  more,  and  that  shall  be  the  worthy 
consort  of  the  last  named  saint,  Mrs.  Jonathan  Edwards. 
Having  by  earnest  prayer  and  sincere  self-consecration 
sought  and  obtained  the  indwelling  presence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  she  describes  her  feelings  in  these  words:  "I 
cannot  find  language  to  express  how  certain  the  ever- 
lasting love  of  God  appeared — the  mountains  and  hills 
were  but  as  shadows  to  it !    My  safety,  and  happiness, 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  511 

and  enjoyment  of  God's  immutable  love,  seemed  as  dur- 
able and  unchangeable  as  God  himself.  Melted  and 
overcome  by  the  sweetness  of  this  assurance,  I  fell  into 
a  great  flow  of  tears,  and  could  not  forbear  weeping 
aloud.  The  presence  of  God  was  so  near,  and  so  real, 
that  I  seemed  scarcely  conscious  of  anything  else.  I 
seemed  to  be  taken  under  the  care  and  charge  of  my  God 
and  Saviour,  in  an  inexpressibly  endearing  manner. 
The  peace  and  happiness  which  I  thereafter  felt  were 
altogether  inexpressible.  The  whole  world,  with  all  its 
enjoyments,  and  all  its  troubles,  seemed  to  be  nothing; 
my  God  was  my  all,  my  only  portion.  No  possible 
suffering  appeared  to  be  worth  regarding;  all  persecutions 
and  torments  were  a  mere  nothing.  At  night,  my  soul 
seemed  to  be  filled  with  an  inexpressibly  sweet  and  pure 
love  to  God  and  to  the  children  of  God,  which  made  me 
willing  to  lie  on  the  earth  at  the  feet  of  the  servants  of 
God,  to  declare  his  gracious  dealings  with  me,  and  breathe 
forth  before  them  my  love  and  gratitude  and  praise." — 
Speaking  of  her  experience,  on  another  occasion,  she 
says,  "  I  seemed  to  perceive  a  glow  of  divine  love  come 
down  from  the  heart  of  Christ  in  heaven  into  my  heart, 
in  a  constant  stream,  like  a  stream  of  sweet  light.  At 
the  same  time,  mv  heart  and  soul  all  flowed  out  in  love 
to  Christ;  so  that  there  seemed  to  be  a  constant  flowing 
and  reflowing  of  heavenly  and  divine  love  from  Christ's 
heart  to  mine  ;  and  I  appeared  to  myself  to  float  in  these 
bright  sweet  beams  of  the  love  of  Christ,  like  the  mote 
swimming  in  the  sunbeam," 

Such  is  what  we  may  well  call  Tropical  Piety.  And, 
as  compared  with  that  we  have  characterized  as  Arctic, 
or  even  as  Temperate,  how  luxuriant  its  growth,  how 
sweet  and  abundant  its  fruits,  how  rich  and  beautiful  its 
flowers  and  its  foliage !     In  passing  from  the  poles  of  the 


512  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

earth  to  its  equator,  we  witness  in  its  vegetation  no 
greater  changes,  or  more  surprising  differences,  than  we 
observe  in  the  several  grades  of  religious  development 
which  we  have  now  contemplated.  And  whence  arises 
this  great  and  wide  diversity  ?  From  their  situation  in 
reference  to  the  great  Fountain  of  light  and  heat.  As  in 
the  realm  of  nature,  so  in  the  kingdom  of  grace,  the  souls 
that  live  more  immediately  beneath  the  warm  and  lumi- 
nous beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  excel  in  spiritual 
vigor,  in  fruits  of  grace,  and  in  beauty  of  holiness,  those 
who  are  content  to  abide  at  a  greater  distance.  Tropical 
fruits  require  a  tropical  Sun  to  foster  and  ripen  them ; 
80  likewise,  maturity  of  piety  can  only  be  attained  by 
close  and  habitual  communion  with  Christ.  They  who 
would  know  the  full  power  and  peace  and  blessedness  of 
his  religion  must  draw  near  and  abide  as  beneath  the 
light  of  his  countenance.  "  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and 
I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit;  for  without 
me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

"  O  Jesu,  teach  me  like  thyself  to  fly 
This  poisonous  world,  and  all  its  charms  defy. 
Give  me  devotion  which  shall  never  tire, 
Fix'd  conteniplation  which  my  love  may  fire; 
A  heavenly  tincture  in  my  whole  discourse, 
A  fervent  zeal  which  may  my  prayers  enforce ; 
Of  heavenly  joys  a  sweet  foretasting  view, 
That  I  on  earth  may  only  heaven  pursue." — Bp.  Ken. 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT. 


ANALOGY  IX. 


513 


As  the  Sun''s  warm  rays  may  be  conveyed  and  converged  through  alens  with 
melting  or  consuming  power  to  objects  beyond,  lohile  the  temperature  of 
that  lens  itself  remains  unchanged ; — so  the  quickening  truth  of  the  Sun 
of  liighteousness  may  be  communicated  by  a  sjieaker  or  a  writer  loith 
softening  and  saving  power  to  others,  while  he  himself  remains  un- 
changed and  uninfluenced  by  that  truth. 

Phenomena. 

The  heat  of  the  Sun  comes  to  us  associated  with  its 
light;  the  two,  however,  are  not  indissolubly  connected, 
but  may  be  readily  sifted  and  separated.  This  can  be  done 
by  receiving  the  sunbeams  on,  or  passing  them  through, 
certain  media ;  for,  some  substances  there  are,  which, 
while  transparent  to  light,  are  not  so  to  heat;  and  others, 
while  transparent  to  heat,  are  impervious  to  light. 
Transparency  to  light,  therefore,  does  not  necessarily 
imply  transparency  to  radiant  heat.  In  other  words,  if 
a  sunray  be  received  on  certain  substances  the  light  will 
pass  through  them,  while  the  heat  will  be  almost  entirely 
intercepted ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  ray  be  received 
on  other  substances,  the  light  will  be  completely  ob- 
structed, while  the  heat  will  pass  freely  through  them. 
Of  all  this  the  following  are  examples:  a  thin  plate  of 
rock-salt  will  transmit  92  per  cent,  of  the  solar  heat  falling 
upon  it ;  while  a  similar  plate  of  alum,  though  translucent, 
will  permit  the  passage  of  only  12  percent.  Black  mica, 
obsidian,  and  black  glass  are  nearly  opaque  to  light,  but 
they  allow  90  per  cent,  of  radiant  heat  to  pass  through 
them.  \Yhereas  a  pale  green  glass,  colored  by  oxide  of 
copper,  covered  with  a  layer  of  water,  although  perfectly 
transparent  to  solar  light,  will  almost  completely  obstruct 
the  permeation  of  solar  heat.  Distilled  water,  though 
extremely  transparent  to  the  rays  of  light,  is  practically 


514  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

opaque  to  those  of  heat ;  on  the  contrary,  the  liquid 
called  bisulphide  of  carbon  freely  admits  heat  rays  to 
pass  through  it.  Alcohol  is  almost  opaque  to  heat  rays, 
while  the  chloride  of  phosphorus  allows  them  freely  to 
pass.  From  numerous  and  varied  experiments  made 
with  such  substances  as  these  it  has  been  clearly  proved 
that  the  solar  light  and  heat  may  be  separated  from  one 
another. 

The  sunbeams,  however  fierce,  in  passing  through 
pure  dry  air  do  not  sensibly  warm  it.  Travellers  tell 
us  that,  on  high  mountains,  the  solar  rays  strilce  on  the 
exposed  parts  of  the  body,  such  as  the  face  or  hands,  with 
almost  intolerable  heat,  while  the  atmosphere  through 
which  they  pass  remains  cold  as  ice.  "  I  never,  on  any 
occasion,"  says  Tyndall,  "  suffered  so  much  from  solar 
heat  as  in  descending  from  the  Corridor  to  the  Grand 
Plateau  of  Mount  Blanc,  on  August  13,  1857;  though 
my  companion  and  myself  were  at  the  time  hip-deep  in 
snow,  the  Sun  blazed  against  us  in  unendurable  power. 
Immersion  in  the  shadows  of  the  Dome  du  Goute  at  once 
changed  my  feelings ;  for  here  the  air  was  at  a  freezing 
temperature.  It  was  not,  however,  sensibly  colder  than 
the  air  through  which  the  sunbeams  passed ;  and  we  suf- 
fered, not  from  the  contact  of  hot  air,  but  from  radiant 
heat,  which  had  reached  us  through  an  icy  cold  medium." 
Humboldt  and  others  relate  similar  experience  on  great 
elevations. 

As  with  pure  dry  air,  so  with  pure  and  clear  glass,  the 
beams  of  the  Sun  will  pass  through  it  without  sensibly 
heating  it.  The  summer  Sun  may  shine  upon  a  pane  of 
such  glass  for  hours  together  without  essentially  aflecting 
its  temperature.  And  the  explanation  which  philosophers 
give  of  this  remarkable  fact  is  this:  The  luiiiiniferous 
etherj  whose  vibrations  j)i'oduce   light,  not   only  fills  all 


SOURCE   OF  HEAT.  515 

the  unoccupied  spaces  of  the  universe,  but  penetrates  all 
matter,  and  surrounds  the  very  atoms  that  compose  both 
solid  and  liquid  substances.  And  "  transparent  bodies  are 
such,  because  the  ether  and  the  atoms  of  such  bodies  are 
so  related  to  each  other,  that  the  waves  which  excite 
light  can  pass  through  them  without  transferring  their 
motion  to  the  atoms ; "  see  Tyndall's  Heat  a  Mode  of  Mo- 
tion, §  346,  517. 

On  the  same  principle,  a  lens  of  pure  glass,  a  large 
convex  lens,  placed  beneath  the  unobscured  sunbeams 
will  transmit  and  converge  them  into  a  focus  of  sufficient 
heat  to  melt  silver  or  gold  into  liquid,  and  yet  remain 
itself  unchanged  in  its  temperature.  This  has  often  been 
proved  by  actual  experiment.'^" 

The  same  phenomenon  may  be  exhibited  with  a  con- 
cave mirror.  Let  this  be  set  fiicing  directly  the  clear 
Sun,  and  it  will  reflect  its  warm  rays  into  a  focus  of  such 
intense  heat  as  will  melt  the  most  refractory  metals,  while 
it  continues  itself  quite  cool. 

And  what  seems  more  wonderful  still,  lenses  of  great 
power  may  be  formed  of  ice.  In  1763,  experiments  were 
made  in  England  with  a  lens  of  ice,  ten  feet  in  diameter, 
which  was  exposed  to  the  Sun,  and  in  the  focus  of  which 
gunpowder  was  ignited.  And  Professor  Tyndall,  in  his 
late  lectures  on  Licjlit,  delivered  in  America,  alluding  to 
this,  says,  "The  same  effect  may  be  produced  with  a 
small  lens,  and  with  a  terrestrial  source  of  heat.  In  an 
iron  mould  we  have  fashioned  this  beautiful  lens  of  trans- 
parent ice.  At  the  focus  of  the  lens  I  place  a  bit  of  black 
paper,  with  a  little  gun-cotton  folded  up  within  it.  The 
paper  ignites  and  the  cotton  explodes.  Strange,  is  it 
not,  that  the  beam  should  possess  such  heating  power 
after  having  passed  through  so  cold  a  substance?" 


See  Part  III.,  Analogy  1. 


516  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL, 

The  foregoing  facts,  namely,  the  transparency  and 
opacity  of  material  substances  to  solar  light  and  heat,  are 
suggestive  of  very  interesting  and  instructive  thoughts. 
These  two  qualities,  as  already  intimated,  depend  upon 
the  relation  which  subsists  between  the  atoms  that  com- 
pose different  substances  and  the  ether  which  permeates 
them.  But  an  exceedingly  slight  change  in  this  relation 
would  make  a  transparent  body  opaque,  or  an  opaque 
one  transparent.  Plence,  in  this  delicate  relation,  we 
discover  a  striking  evidence  of  the  foresight,  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  the  Creator  who  established  it ;  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  human  race,  and  of  every  living  thing,  in  no 
small  degree  depends  upon  it.  A  moment's  reflection  will 
make  this  evident. 

If  no  substance  pertaining  to  our  globe  was  transparent 
to  Jlglit,  how  different  would  be  our  condition  from  what 
it  actually  is !  How  changed  the  aspect  of  the  scenes 
and  objects  around  us !  Our  skies  and  our  fields  would 
wear  a  different  hue.  The  waters  of  our  lakes  and  rivers 
and  springs  would  be  as  black  as  ink.  Our  dwellings 
would  be  without  their  glazed  windows,  and,  through  the 
winter  half  of  the  year  at  least,  would  be  as  dark  in  the 
daytime  as  in  the  night,  save  as  relieved  by  artificial  light. 
Our  eyes,  growing  dim  with  age,  would  never  know  the 
invaluable  service  of  spectacles.  The  diamond  would 
never  adorn  the  bosom  of  the  fair,  nor  flash  in  its  bril- 
liancy from  the  crown  of  kings.  The  telescope  which 
reveals  tlie  mighty  wonders  of  the  heavens,  and  micro- 
scope which  discloses  the  minute  mysteries  of  the  earth, 
would  have  been  instruments  unthought  of,  and,  indeed, 
impossible.  In  short,  we  should  be  destitute  of  a  hun- 
dred thino;s  that  now  minister  to  our  comfort  and  con- 
venience  and  instruction.  On  the  other  hand,  if  all  sub- 
stances were    transparent   to  light,  evils  no  less  serious 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  517 

would  ensue.  In  such  a  case  there  would  be  no  such 
thing  as  privacy  or  seclusion,  except  in  the  distance  of 
solitude.  We  should  be  as  unscreened  Mathin  our  habi- 
tations as  upon  the  open  street.  There  could  be  no  such 
place  as  a  secret  closet  for  prayer,  or  for  any  other  duty 
or  purpose ;  but  our  doors  would  be  as  open  windows, 
and  our  walls  as  so  many  panes  of  plate-glass.  In  all 
circumstances  and  conditions  we  should  be  exj)osed  to 
the  gaze  of  the  passers  by,  whether  awake  or  asleep. 

Again  :  If  no  substance  was  transparent  to  solar  heat, 
but  every  earthly  material  an  effectual  bar  against  it, 
there  is  no  counting  or  estimating  the  inconveniences  and 
discomforts  with  which  man  would  be  left  to  struggle,  if, 
in  fact,  he  could  maintain  an  existence  at  all.  On  the 
contrary,  if  all  substances  were  alike  transparent  to  his 
heat,  other  and  opposite  evils  would  result ;  to  name  no 
more,  there  would  be  no  shelter  from  the  hot,  oppressive 
beams  of  the  summer's  Sun ;  nor  tree,  nor  roof,  nor  pro- 
jecting rock  would  protect  us ;  his  scorching  rays  would 
everywhere  beat  down  upon  us,  as  upon  the  head  of  Jonah 
before  the  gourd  sprang  up  to  shade  him  and  to  dL4iver 
him  from  his  grief 

How  different  from  all  this  do  we  find  the  actual 
arrangement  of  our  world  to  be.  Infinite  Wisdom,  fore- 
seeing these  evils  and  discomforts,  has  obviated  them  all, 
and  secured  the  greatest  amount  of  convenience  and 
advantage,  by  giving  to  the  atoms  of  the  various  sub- 
stances of  the  earth  ih^i  precise  constitution  which  renders 
them  most  suitable  to  the  condition  and  wants  of  man, 
making  some  transparent  and  some  opaque,  alike  to  light 
and  heat,  and  that  in  varying  degrees,  so  that  he  may 
ever  fmd  among  them  what  meets  his  convenience  or 
necessity.  And  herein  we  have  another  proof  and  illus- 
tration of  the  word  that  is  written,  "  He  is  wonderful  in 
counsel  and  excellent  in  working." 


518  the  celstial  symbol. 

Teachings. 

From  the  foregoing  subject  we  may  gather  an  important 
lesson  of  a  spiritual  and  practical  nature.  As  the  Sun's 
warm  rays  may  be  conveyed  and  converged  through  a 
lens  of  glass,  or  even  of  ice,  with  melting  or  consuming 
power  to  objects  beyond,  while  the  constitution  and 
temperature  of  that  lens  itself  remaiu  unchanged;  so  the 
quickening  truiJi  qf  the  Sun  of  liighfeousifess  may  he  com- 
municated hy  a  speaher  or  a  writer  with  softening  and 
saving  power  to  otiiers,  while  he  himself  remains  unchanged 
and  uninfluenced  hy  that  truth. 

History,  both  sacred  and  profane,  supplies  us  with 
numerous  evidences  that  bad  men  haveoften  been  a2;ents  in 
accomplishing  great  good,  and  that  base  hypocrites  have 
not  unfrequently  proclaimed  the  pure  word  of  God  with 
power  and  saving  success.  Balaam  prophesied,  while  he 
"  loved  the  wages  of  iniquity."  Saul  appeared  among  the 
prophets,  while  he  was  meditating  murderous  designs 
a2;ainst  the  life  of  David.  Judas  Iscariot  was  found 
preaching  the  kingdom  and  casting  out  devils,  while  he 
was  himself  a  devil  and  a  thief  Simon  the  Sorcerer 
was  baptized  into  the  fiith  of  Christ,  and  was  desirous  to 
equal  the  apostles  in  mighty  wonders,  while  he  was  "in 
the  gall  of  bitterness,  and  in  the  bond  of  iniquity."  Paul 
speaks  of  some  at  Rome,  who  preached  Christ  with  such 
good  effect  as  caused  him  to  rejoice  therein,  yet  he  is  con- 
strained to  testify  concerning  them  that  they  did  it  only 
through  "  envy  "  and  "strife."  Tlie  apostle  John  says 
that,  in  his  time,  "many  false  prophets  were  gone  out 
into  the  world."  In  the  first  ages  of  the  Christian 
church,  as  Origen  informs  us,  not  a  few  were  enabled  to 
exercise  miraculous  gifts,  while  they  followed  not  with 
"  our  Tjord's  true  disciples."  And  many,  in  every  age, 
have  possessed  no  small  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  gospel, 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  519 

while  their  "  hearts  were  not  right  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord." 

Hence  this  emphatic  and  solemn  declaration  of  our 
blessed  Saviour :  "  Many  will  say  to  me  at  that  day, 
Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name  ?  and 
in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils?  and  in  thy  name  done 
many  wonderful  works  ?  Then  will  I  profess  unto  them, 
I  never  knew  you.  Depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  ini- 
quity." On  these  words  the  learned  Dr.  Adam  Clarke 
makes  this  comment :  "  I  never  hneio  you,  that  is,  I  never 
approved  of  you.  You  held  the  truth  in  unrighteousness, 
while  you  preached  my  pure  and  holy  doctrine :  and  for 
the  sake  of  my  own  truth,  and  through  my  love  for  the 
souls  of  men,  I  blessed  your  preaching ;  but  yourselves  I 
could  never  esteem,  because  ye  were  destitute  of  the  spirit 
of  my  gospel,  unholy  in  your  hearts,  and  unrighteous  in 
your  conduct.  Alas !  alas !  how  many  preachers  are 
there  who  appear  prophets  in  their  pulpits;  how  many 
writers,  and  other  evangelical  workmen,  the  miracles  of 
whose  labor,  learning  and  doctrine  we  admire,  who  are 
nothing,  and  worse  than  nothing,  before  God;  because 
they  perform  not  his  will,  but  their  own.  What  an  awful 
consideration,  that  a  man  of  eminent  gifts,  whose  talents 
are  a  source  of  public  utility,  should  be  only  a  way-mark, 
or  finger-post,  in  the  way  to  eternal  bliss,  pointing  out 
the  road  to  others,  without  walking  in  it  himself!" 

That  an  unconverted  man  may  preach  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity  with  effect,  and  become  the  means  of  the 
conversion  of  sinners  and  of  the  edification  of  the  body 
of  the  church,  paradoxical  as  it  may  appear,  is  a  fact  not 
to  be  doubted.  As  the  rays  of  the  Sun  of  nature  do  not 
lose  their  heat  in  passing  through  a  lens,  though  made 
of  ice ;  so  the  truths  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  do  not 
lose  their  power  in   passing  through  a  human  medium, 


520  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

though  that  medium  be  corrupt.  Tlie  gospel  is  not  neces- 
sarily rendered  of  none  effect  because  uttered  by  unsancti- 
fied  lips,  any  more  than  because  printed  by  unsanctified 
hands.  Truth  is  incorruptible.  And  Divine  truth,  in 
any  case,  becomes  effectual  in  enlightening  and  convert- 
ing the  soul  only  through  the  gracious  influences  of  the 
Spirit  attending  and  following  it.  And  God  may  some- 
times (but  he  does  not  usually)  see  fit  to  honor  his  word 
in  this  way,  however  unworthy  the  agency  that  may  pro- 
claim it.  Of  this  the  following  instance,  among  a  multi- 
tude that  might  be  adduced,  may  serve  both  as  a  proof 
and  illustration :  ''A  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land was  left  by  the  death  of  his  relatives  the  last  of  his 
family ;  and,  resolving  to  emigrate  to  America,  took  ship 
with  his  worldly  effects,  to  end  his  days  with  preaching 
the  gospel  here.  A  criminal,  leaving  his  country  for  his 
country's  good,  in  the  same  ship,  concealing  his  true  char- 
acter, became  intimate  with  the  clergyman.  On  the  pas- 
sage, however,  the  latter  took  sick,  was  nursed  assiduously 
by  the  other,  and,  dying,  left  all  his  effects,  including  his 
sermons,  letters,  and  testimonials,  to  the  unknown  nurse. 
Upon  arriving  safe  in  this  country,  the  criminal  assumed 
the  name  of  the  deceased,  and,  presenting  the  letters  and 
credentials  of  the  departed  to  the  bishop,  was  invited  to 
preach ;  w^hich  he  did,  using  one  of  the  sermons  he  had 
inherited,  and  was  called  to  a  church,  where  he  officiated 
acceptably  for  several  years.  The  truth  would  not  have 
been  discovered,  had  not  the  wretched  impostor  divulged 
it  on  his  death-bed." 

That  a  speaker  or  writer,  who  himself  is  in  nature's 
darkness,  should  be  able  thus  to  instruct,  comfort  and 
encourage  the  saints  of  God,  involves  nothing,  implies 
nothing,  that  is  incredible.  What  he  presents  and 
knows  only  in   the  letter,  they  apprehend   in   the  spirit 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT,  621 

and  translate  into  experience.  By  means  of  the  truths 
which  he  utters,  he  inspires  in  regenerated  souls  thoughts 
and  emotions  and  affections,  to  which  his  own  is  an  utter 
stranger.  In  this  way  he  unconsciously  teaches  what  he 
has  never  known.  As  a  man  born  blind,  by  study,  may 
come  to  understand  the  laws  of  light,  and  even  be  able  to 
impart  instruction  to  those  of  clear  sight  concerning  the 
principles  which  govern  its  reflection,  refraction,  and  dis- 
persion, though  a  ray  has  never  entered  his  sightless  eye- 
balls ;  so  a  preacher,  or  an  author,  whose  eyes  the  Spirit 
has  never  opened,  may  be  able  to  reason  well,  and  to  im- 
part much  important  instruction,  concerning  the  light  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  though  a  beam  from  his  coun- 
tenance may  never  have  entered  into  his  soul.  Or,  to 
employ  another  and  different  comparison :  As  a  man  who 
remains  at  home,  by  mere  study  of  the  directions  and 
distances  ascertained  and  recorded  by  others,  can  draw 
an  accurate  map  of  a  country,  and  delineate  thereon  the 
roads  with  all  their  turns  and  passes  and  prospects  that 
lead  to  tlie  metropolis,  which  he  has  never  seen  nor  ever 
will  see,  may  thus  render  great  service  to  others  that  are 
travelling  thither ;  so  an  unconverted  minister,  by  the 
mere  study  of  Scripture  facts  and  doctrines,  may  prove 
very  helpful  to  many  prilgrims  who  are  on  their  way  to 
the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  though  he  himself  take  not  a 
step  toward  that  happy  place. 

Many  unregenerated  men,  no  doubt,  enter  the  ministry, 
and  continue  exercising  its  sacred  offices,  deceiving  them- 
selves,  as  well  as  others,  as  to  their  calling  and  fitness  for 
it.  Studying  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion,  as 
they  study  a  system  of  philosophy,  and  having  acquired 
a  pretty  clear  idea  of  the  letter,  they  presently  conclude 
that  they  also  know  the  spirit  thereof  And  the  very 
course  of  life  afterward  pursued  by  them  tends  to  confirm 

32 


522  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  perpetuate  the  delusion.  Ever  leading  the  devotions 
of  others  with  decorum  and  solemnity,  how  natural  the 
idea  that  they  are  devout  themselves.  Doing  nothing  so 
much  as  read  and  study  about  Christ,  and  preach  and 
pray  and  talk  about  heaven — how  like  a  spiritual  and 
heavenly  life  is  all  this.  But,  alas !  they  know  not  what 
spirit  they  are  of.  They  do  but  gather  manna  for  others, 
which  they  themselves  eat  and  digest  not,  neither,  indeed, 
have  evertasted.  Good  service  and  great  help  they 
may  render  to  others  by  the  truth  they  proclaim;  but 
they  profit  not  themselves  by  it.  As  the  cold  lens  con- 
veys to  other  objects  light  and  heat  which  itself  never 
feels,  so  these  may  be  instrumental  in  kindling  light  and 
heat  in  the  hearts  of  others,  which  they  themselves  have 
never  experienced. 

What,  then,  does  all  this  teach  us?  Not,  indeed,  that 
conversion  is  a  matter  of  indifference  to  success  ;  for  it  is; 
this  is  the  rule,  while  the  contrary  is  the  exception. 
But  the  great  and  serious  lesson  is,  that  a  mans  success 
in  the  ministry,  success  iri  converting  sinners  and  edifying 
saints,  is  no  certain  evidence  that  his  ov)n  soul  is  in  <i  safe 
state.  Let  all  who  have  assumed  the  sacred  office  re- 
member the  Saviour's  words,  "  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that 
day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name? 
and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils?  and  in  thy  name 
done  many  wonderful  works?  And  then  will  I  profess 
unto  them,  I  never  knew  you  :  depart  from  me." 


SOURCE    OF    HEAT.  523 

ANALOGY  X. 

As  the  Sun  of  Nature,  in  drawing  upward  the  vapors  that  are  to  form  the 
fleecy  clouds  on  high,  separates  and  leaves  behind  every  particle  of  the 
gross  materials  with  which,  as  water,  they  had  been  connected; — so  the 
tSun  of  Highteousness,  when  he  lifts  the  souls  of  his  redeemed  to  the 
skies,  divests  them  of  all  the  corruption  with  which  they  had  been  affected 
in  the  body,  so  that  they  ascend  pure  and  stainless  to  dwell  in  his  pres 
ence. 

Phenomena. 

Water,  pure  water,  consists  of  two  simple  or  elementary 
substances,  oxygen  and  hydrogen,  mixed  in  the  propor- 
tion, by  weight,  of  8  parts  of  the  former  to  1  part  of  the 
latter.  In  other  words,  9  pounds  of  pure  water  contain 
8  pounds  of  oxygen  and  1  pound  of  hydrogen.  But  in 
nature,  or  on  the  face  of  our  globe,  water  is  never  found 
in  this  perfectly  pure  state;  it  always  holds  in  solution 
more  or  less  of  the  various  substances  with  which,  in  its 
ceaseless  flow  and  circulation,  it  comes  in  contact.  That 
which  rises  and  gushes  forth  in  springs  is  contaminated 
by  the  materials  it  encou«nters  in  percolating  through  the 
soil  and  the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  And  the  impurity  of 
that  which  flows  in  rivers  is  often  discernible  to  the  eye. 
Rivers  that  flow  over  ferruginous  rocks  or  througli  marl 
impregnated  with  considerable  oxide  of  iron  are  of  a  red 
color.  Those  that  run  over  beds  of  chalk  or  white  earth, 
as  the  streams  from  the  glaciers  of  Iceland  and  the  slopes 
of  the  Andes,  are  milky  in  their  appearance.  Those 
whose  channels  are  scooped  out  through  alluvial  plains 
or  rich  prairies,  as  the  Rio  Nigro,  in  South  America,  are 
black  wit%  vegetable  matter.  While  waters  that  gush 
from  heated  depths,  as  geysers,  exhibit  a  greenish  hue, 
from  the  yellow  matter  they  have  dissolved. 

Water,  also,  often  contains  many  impurities  that  are 
not  to  be  detected  by  the  eye.     Among  the  rocky  and 


524  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

other  suDstances  with  which  it  comes  in  contact  in  its 
course  over  the  surface  or  through  the  strata  of  the  earth, 
there  are  many  it  can  dissolve,  as  it  does  sugar  or  salt, 
and  the  presence  of  which  cannot  be  discerned  by  the 
sight.  Hence  the  clearest  streams  and  the  brightest 
springs  are  often  far  from  being  pure  water;  in  fact,  they 
all  contain  in  solution  a  greater  or  less  quantity  of  saline 
matter,  sometimes  so  much  of  it,  as  to  give  them  a  decided 
taste,  and  to  form  what  are  hence  called  mineral  waters. 

The  waters  of  many  springs  and  streams,  while  they 
are  bright  and  sparkling  to  the  eye,  and  even  pleasant 
to  the  taste,  are  so  strongly  impregnated  with  lime,  that 
they  will  deposit  a  calcareous  coating  along  their  chan- 
nels, and  incrust  wood  or  any  solid  substance  which  may 
be  immersed  in  them.  Of  all  this,  interesting  examples 
may  be  seen  among  the  volcanic  mountains  of  Auvern, 
in  France,  and  at  Matlock  and  Knaresborough,  in  Eng- 
land. Kettles  and  steam-boilers  in  which  such  water  is 
I  heated,  soon  become  thickly-lined  with  an  incrustation  of 
lime. 

In  many  sandy  districts  of  country,  the  water  that 
sinks  and  collects  into  wells,  carries  with  it  so  much  of 
vegetable  solutions,  that  if  a  little  tannin  be  thrown  into 
it,  or  if  it  be  boiled,  these  solutions  will  separate  and 
form  into  flakes  or  clots.  Such  is  the  water  of  the  Seine, 
at  Paris ;  of  the  sandy  Landes  of  Bordeaux  ;  and  of  many 
of  the  marshy  streams  of  India.  And  such,  we  have 
good  reason  to  believe,  were  the  bitter  waters  of  Marah. 

The  waters  of  the  Jordan  contain  73  grains  of  min- 
eral matter  to  the  gallon ;  and  the  river  Thames,  near 
London,  21  grains  to  the  gallon.  Among  the  purest 
natural  waters  hitherto  examined  is  that  of  the  Loka,  in 
the  north  of  Sweden,  which  flows  over  hard  impenetrable 
granite,   and  other  rocks,  upon   which  water   produces 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  525 

little  impression ;  this  contains  only  one-twentieth  of  a 
grain  of  mineral  matter  to  the  gallon.  The  nearest  in 
purity  to  this  is  found  in  some  of  the  granite  districts  of 
Scotland,  which  holds  from  4  to  5  grains  to  the  gallon. 

The  water  used  for  domestic  purposes  in  all  the  great 
cities  of  the  world  contains  solutions  of  minerals  and  of 
other  substances.  That  which  supplies  the  city  of  Edin- 
burgh contains  from  7  to  14  grains  of  mineral  matter  to 
the  gallon ;  and  that  of  London  from  20  to  35  grains  to 
the  gallon.  These  are  esteemed  waters  of  average  purity. 
The  Cochituate,  which  supplies  Boston,  U.  S.,  has  3.67 
grains  of  solid  matter  to  the  gallon ;  the  Croton  River 
of  New  York,  4.56  grains;  and  Lake  Michigan,  from 
which  Chicago  draws  its  supply,  6.68  grains. 

Leaving  these  smaller  bodies  of  water,  and  turning  to 
the  great  reservoirs  of  the  globe,  the  oceans,  we  find  them 
far  more  impure  than  any  that  have  been  now  named. 
Sea  water  is  mingled  with  a  large  measure  of  the  solu- 
tions of  various  substances,  common  salt  being  the  most 
abundant.  The  waters  of  the  Black  Sea  and  Sea  of 
Azof  are  just  brackish  with  it;  those  of  the  great  ocean 
are  salty ;  those  of  the  Mediterranean,  more  so ;  while 
those  of  the  Caspian  Sea,  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  Lake 
Aral,  are  much  more  so  yet.  As  all  the  solid  matter 
carried  by  rivers  into  these  remains  in  them,  it  follows 
that  their  waters  have  been  growing  more  and  more 
briny  and  bitter  in  their  taste. 

The  waters  of  the  great  oceans,  the  Atlantic,  Pacific 
and  Indian,  contain  from  2,200  to  2,800  grains  of  saline 
matter  in  the  gallon;  those  of  the  Dead  Sea  from  11,000 
to  21,000  grains.  Or,  to  give  both  quantities  in  the 
same  denomination — a  gallon  of  ocean  water  weighs 
lOilbs.,  and  contains  nearly  one-half  pound  of  matter  in 
solution ;  while  a  gallon  of  the  Dead  Sea  water  weighs 


526  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

12ilbs.,  and   contains   a  little   over    31bs.    of  dissolved 
matter. 

Riegel  gives  the  following  analysis  of  the  ocean  water. 
His  sample  was  taken  off  the  coast  of  France,  near  Havre, 
and  contained,  in  1,000  parts  by  weight  olh  parts  of 
solid  matter  (2,250  grains  in  the  gallon),  consisting  of — 

Chloride  of  sodium  (common  salt) 24.632 

Chloride  of  potassium 0.307 

Chloride  of  calcium 0.439 

Chloride  of  magnesium 2.564 

Bromide  of  magnesium 0.147 

Sulphate  of  lime  (gypsum) 1.097 

Sulphate  of  magnesia  (Epsom  salts)     ......  2.146 

Carbonate  of  lime  (chalk) 0.176 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 0.078 

Total  of  solid  matter 31.586 

Professor  J.  F.  Johnston,  speaking  of  the  above  analysis, 
says,  "  Besides  these  substances,  traces  of  phosphate  of 
lime,  of  silica,  of  the  oxides  of  iron  and  manganese,  of 
iodine,  of  fluorine,  and  even  of  lead,  copper,  silver,  and 
arsenic,  have  been  detected  in  sea  water.  Indeed,  wo 
know  that,  being  the  common  reservoir  into  which  all 
soluble  substances  are  washed  down  by  the  rains  and 
rivers,  we  ought  to  find  in  the  sea  traces  of  all  the  soluble 
substances  which  are  capable  of  existing  together  in  the 
same  solution. 

There  is,  then,  no  pure  water  to  be  found  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Whether  taken  from  well  or  spring,  river 
or  lake,  or  from  tlie  great  and  wide  sea,  it  contains 
many  impurities ;  that  is,  the  solutions  of  many  and 
various  substances,  besides  the  simple  combination  of 
eight  parts  of  oxygen  and  one  part  of  hydrogen,  which 
composes  this  element  in  its  purity. 

Water  thus  variousl^^  mingled  with  other  substances 
overspreads  the  surface  of  our  globe.     The  oceans  com- 


SOUECE  OF  HEAT.  527 

pletely  cover  three-fourths  of  that  surface ;  and  the  re- 
maining fourth  is  studded  with  lakes,  traversed  by  many 
large  rivers,  and  irrigated  by  ten  thousand  minor  streams, 
brooks  and  rills ;  and  even  the  solid  soil  is  everywhere, 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  saturated  with  it.  Now,  from 
every  square  mile,  every  square  foot,  of  this  surface, 
whether  sea  or  land,  the  Sun,  like  a  mighty  and  untir- 
ing engine,  is  constantly,  winter  and  summer,  drawing 
up  in  the  form  of  vapor  vast  quantities  of  this  water  to 
form  the  clouds  and  furnish  the  rains  that  are  to  refresh 
the  earth  and  nourish  its  inhabitants.*  But  in  doing 
this,  he  eliminates  and  leaves  behind  all  the  saline  and 
other  substances  in  solution  with  which  it  may  be  com- 
bined. Whether  the  vapors  drawn  forth  by  the  power 
of  his  rays  arise  from  the  salt  sea,  the  fresh  lake,  the 
muddy  Nile,  or  the  pestilential  Niger,  not  a  particle  of 
these  gross  materials  go  up  with  them.  Nothing  ascends 
but  the  aqueous  element  in  its  purity. 

This  is  a  process,  not  only  of  vital  importance  to  all 
organic  existences,  but  one  which  exhibits  a  demonstra- 
tion of  infinite  wisdom  and  power.  For,  to  secure  this 
result,  the  constitution  of  water,  the  action  of  solar  heat, 
the  properties  of  aqueous  vapor,  and  the  density  of  the 
atmosphere,  have  been  so  exactly  and  admirably  adjusted 
to  work  together,  that  no  room  is  left  for  doubt,  that  it 
is  the  arrangement  of  a  Mind  thoroughly  conversant  with 
all  the  properties  of  matter,  and  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  workings- of  all  the  laws  which  sustain  and  regulate 
the  universe.  A  moment's  reflection  will  make  this 
manifest. 

Let  us  suppose,  for  example,  that  only  the  solution  of 
common  salt,  so  largely  diffused  through  all  the  oceans, 
were  evaporated  with  the  water.     What,  in  such  a  case, 

*  See  Part  III.,  Analogy  6. 


528  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

would  be  the  consequences?  Why,  every  shower  that 
descended  would  be  a  shower  of  brine;  and  this,  if  con- 
tinued but  for  a  short  period,  as  is  obvious,  would  prove 
the  destruction  of  both  all  plants  and  animals  on  the  dry 
land.  As  if  to  remind  us,  and  to  dispose  us  to  appreciate 
the  excellency  of  the  existing  arrangements  of  creation, 
certain  aberrations  of  this  kind  have  been  suffered  to 
take  place,  under  certain  extraordinary  circumstances, 
and  at  distant  intervals.  "  Saline  rains  have  fallen  dur- 
ing severe  tempests;  thus,  in  1703,  during  an  awful  hur- 
ricane; and  in  September,  1821,  in  North  America,  saline 
particles  were  found  upon  the  trees  many  miles  from 
shore.  Dalton,  in  conversation  with  M.  Arago,  com- 
municated the  fact,  that  in  this  country  salt  water  had 
been  detected  in  the  rain-gauge,  seven  leagues  from  the 
coast,  carried  thither,  doubtless,  by  the  wind."  * 

Again  :  If  only  the  solution  of  the  sulphate  of  mag- 
nesia or  Epsom  salts  were  to  be  evaporated  with  water, 
consequences  scarcely  less  deplorable  would  ensue ;  for 
then  the  water  of  every  spring  and  well  would  soon  be 
so  strongly  physiced  for  us  as  to  be  ruinous  to  health. 
Showers,  whose  water  was  tinctured  Avith  something  of 
this  nature,  have  actually  been  known  to  fall.  On  the 
13th  of  November,  1755,  a  peculiar  rain  fell  in  part  of 
Russia  and  Sweden ;  the  water  was  acidulous,  and  cast 
down  a  flaky  precipitate.  And  on  the  27th  of  August, 
1792,  a  shower  whose  water  was  mingled  with  cineritious 
substance  fell  at  Paz,  in  Peru,  which  was  followed  by 
fevers  and  cerebral  diseases.^ 

Or,  again  :  If  the  mineral  and  vegetable  solutions  were 
evaporated  with  the  water,  we  should  have  rain  of  various 
colors ;  so  that  every  drop  would  leave  a  stain  upon  our 
persons,  upon  our  linen,  and  upon  whatever  it  fell ;  which, 

*  Thomson's  Meteorology,  p.  15G.  |Ibid.,  \^.  154. 


SOURCE  OF   HEAT.  629 

if  not  positively  injurious,  yet  would  be  very  inconvenient 
and  annoying.  Of  this  also,  Nature  has  given  a  few  illus- 
trations. On  the  15th  of  May,  1830,  red  rain  fell  at 
Sienna  and  in  the  neighborhood ;  the  weather  had  been 
calm  for  two  days  previously,  but  the  sky  was  overcast 
by  dense  reddish  clouds.  This  rain,  according  to  Pro- 
fessor Guili,  contained  carbonate  of  iron,  manganese,  silica, 
carbonate  of  lime,  alumina,  and  some  vegetable  matter. 
On  the  9th  of  June,  1835,  during  a  thunderstorm,  at  Banff, 
a  shower  o^ yellow  j-airt  fell;  the  water  of  the  pools  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  the  lee-side  of  the  river  Deven,  were 
tinged  with  the  same  hue.  In  Worcestershire,  England, 
April  22d,  1846,  a  black-colored  rain  fell,  for  two  hours 
together,  and  turned  the  Severn,  and  the  waters  in  the 
vicinity  of  Dudley,  Stourport,  Abberley,  and  Bewdley  into 
that  color.  Such  facts  render  the  evils  of  colored  rain 
sufficiently  obvious. 

Once  more :  If  all  the  mineral  and  vegetable  solutions 
found  in  the  waters  of  the  earth  were  exhaled  with  them, 
and  this  compound  vapor  diffused  through  the  firmament, 
not  only  would  the  character  of  the  rain  be  changed,  but 
the  whole  constitution  of  the  atmosphere  would  be  de- 
ranged— its  density  and  pressure,  its  power  for  absorbing 
and  radiating  heat,  its  capacity  for  the  transmission  and 
reflection  of  light,  together  with  its  electric  equilibrium, 
would  all  soon  be  disturbed  to  an  extent  that  would  pro- 
duce results  disastrous  alike  to  man  and  beast.  As  serving 
to  convey  some  idea  of  what  probably  would  often  happen 
in  such  an  altered  condition  of  things,  we  transcribe  the 
following  occurrence:  "In  November,  1819,  remarkably 
dark  and  gloomy  weather  was  experienced  over  the 
northern  part  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  At  times 
the  aspect  of  the  sky  was  grand  and  terrific.  In  Mon- 
treal the  darkness  was  very  great,  particularly  on  the 


530  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

morning  of  Sunday,  the  19th;  the  whole  atmosphere  ap- 
peared as  if  covered  with  a  thick  haze  of  a  dingy  orange 
color,  during  which  rain  of  an  inky  appearance  fell.  The 
weather  after  this  became  pleasant,  until  the  Tuesday 
following,  when,  at  twelve  o'clock,  a  heavy,  damp  vapor 
enveloped  the  whole  city,  when  it  became  necessary  to 
light  candles  in  all  the  houses.  The  appearance  was 
awful,  and  grand  in  the  extreme !  A  little  before  three 
o'clock,  a  slight  shock  of  an  earthquake  was  felt,  accom- 
panied with  a  noise  resembling  the  distant  discharge  of 
artillery.  It  was  now  that  the  increasing  gloom  engrossed 
universal  attention.  At  twenty  minutes  past  three,  when 
the  darkness  seemed  to  have  reached  its  greatest  depth, 
the  whole  city  was  instantaneously  illuminated  by  the 
most  vivid  flash  of  lightning  ever  witnessed  in  Montreal, 
immediately  followed  by  a  peal  of  thunder,  so  loud  and 
near  as  to  shake  the  strongest  buildings  to  their  founda- 
tions, which  was  followed  by  other  peals,  and  accompanied 
by  a  heavy  shower  of  rain  of  the  color  above  described. 
After  four  p.  m.,  the  heavens  began  to  assume  a  brighter 
appearance,  and  fear  gradually  subsided."  ''' 

Such,  in  brief,  would  be  the  evils  and  inconveniences 
that  Avould  result  from  the  general  and  indiscriminate 
evaporation  of  the  waters  as  they  exist  upon  the  face  of 
the  globe.  And  who  can  duly  consider  these  things, 
and  not  admire  the  excellency  of  the  existing  order  and 
processes  of  nature.  Who  but  must  adore  the  wisdom 
of  the  Creator,  who,  foreseeing  all  the  effects  which  could 
possibly  arise  from  the  properties  and  forces  of  matter, 
has  effectually  provided  against  such  disasters,  by  ar- 
ranszino:  all   thin2;s   according;   to    number,   weisrht,   and 

••-  The  writer  would  not  be  understood  to  intimate  tluit  the  forejjjoing  extraordinary 
occurrences  resulted  from  any  change  in  the  action  of  the  ^un  ;  they  were  produced 
undoubtedly  by  certain  local  and  limited  disturbances  belonging  to  the  earth.  The 
Sua  has  been  undeviating  in  his  agency  from  the  beginning. 


SOURCE   OF   HEAT.  531 

measure,  so  as  to  work  out  the  results  most  suitable  and 
most  beneficial  for  the  welfare  of  the  world.  Who  can 
seriously  contemplate  the  mighty  and  glorious  Sun,  as  an 
engine  of  untiring  and  unremitting  energies,  distilling 
from  the  sea,  and"  lake,  and  river  the  aqueous  element  in 
its  purity,  to  supply  the  wants  of  man  and  beast,  and  to 
refresh  and  nourish  all  that  live  or  grow  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth, — but  must  find  the  sentiments  and  emotions 
of  his  heart  expressed  in  the  words  of  the  sweet  singer 
of  Israel :  "  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to  be  praised. 
He  causeth  the  vapors  to  ascend  from  the  ends  of  the 
earth ;  he  sendeth  the  springs  into  the  valleys,  which 
run  among  the  hills.  They  give  drink  to  every  beast  of 
the  field  ;  the  wild  asses  quench  their  thirst.  By  them 
the  fowls  of  heaven  are  refreshed,  which  sing  among  the 
branches.  He  watereth  the  hills  from  his  chambers, 
and  the  earth  is  satisfied  with  the  fruit  of  his  works." 

Teachings. 

In  scripture,  Watei^s  is  the  term  used  figuratively  to 
signify  peoples ;  and  Many  loaters,  on  account  of  their 
tumultuous  noise  and  agitation,  to  denote  multitudes,  na- 
tions, and  tongues.  Thus  Jeremiah,  in  speaking  of  the 
invasion  of  Philistia  by  the  vast  armies  of  the  Chaldeans, 
says,  "Behold,  waters  rise  up  out  of  the  north,  and 
shall  be  an  overflowing  flood,  and  shall  overflow  the 
land,  and  all  that  is  therein."  The  word  is  used  and  ex- 
plained in  the  same  sense  in  Revelation :  "  The  waters 
which  thou  sawest  are  peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  na- 
tions, and  tongues."  Homer,  also,  has  the  same  figure. 
As  the  waters  cover  the  deep  places  of  the  sea,  so  the 
human  race  overspreads  all  the  dry  land.  Moreover,  as 
all  the  waters  of  the  earth  are  contaminated,  are  more  or 
less  mingled  with  other  and  grosser  matter,  there  being 


532  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

no  absolutely  pure  water  on  the  face  of  the  globe ;  so  the 
whole  human  race  is  corrupted  through  sin.  "  They  are 
all  gone  astray,  and  the  way  of  peace  have  they  not 
known."  "  They  are  together  become  unprofitable ; 
there  is  none  that  doeth  good!"  "  There  is  no  fear  of 
God  before  their  eyes."  "  There  is  not  a  just  man  upon 
earth,  that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not." 

Now,  as  the  Sun  of  nature,  in  drawing  upwards  from 
the  waters  of  the  earth  the  vapors  that  are  to  form  the 
fleecy  clouds  on  high,  separates  and  leaves  behind  every 
particle  of  the  gross  materials  with  which  they  had  been 
connected  ; — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  when  he  lifts  the 
souls  of  his  redeemed  to  the  skies,  divests  them  of  all  the 
corruption  with  which  they  had,heen  affected  in  the  body, 
so  that  they  ascend  pure  and  stainless  to  dwell  forever  in 
his  presence. 

The  mission  of  the  Son  of  God  into  our  world  was  to 
save  his  people  from  their  sins,  that  he  might  redeem 
them  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people.  This  process  of  purification  and  sanctification, 
under  the  influence  of  Divine  grace,  is  carried  on  through 
the  whole  period  of  man's  regenerated  life;  yet  more  or 
less  of  the  defilement  of  sin,  more  or  less  of  their  native 
corruption,  cleaves  to  them  even  to  the  last.  But  when, 
at  the  bidding  of  God,  the  earthly  house  of  this  taber- 
nacle is  dissolved,  and  he  raises  them  to  his  own  celestial 
abode,  the  old  man,  with  all  his  aflections  and  lusts,  is 
left  behind,  and  the  disembodied  spirit  ascends  without 
spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing.  Its  deliverance  from 
sin  is  now  final  and  complete.  In  heaven  all  are  pure 
and  holy.  Nothing  that  defileth  can  enter  there.  As 
every  drop  of  all  the  millions  of  tons  of  water  drawn  up 
annually  by  the  Sun  into  the  skies  is  pure  and  transpar- 
ent as  the   crystal ;  so  every  soul  of  all  the  multitudes 


SOURCE  OF  HEAT.  53^ 

lifted  from  every  land  by  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  to 
the  heavenly  mansions,  is  holy  as  he  is  holy,  and  pure 
as  he  is  pure.  "  They  are  without  fault  before  the 
throne  of  God."  Mount  Zion,  the  city  of  the  living  God, 
is  occupied  by  none  other  than  "  an  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels,  and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  per- 
fect." 

Clean  delivered  from  sin,  the  people  of  God  shall  also, 
in  the  same  hour,  be  fully  and  forever  delivered  from  all 
the  evils  connected  with  sin.  Nor  toil,  nor  trial,  nor 
temptation,  nor  trouble,  nor  pain,  nor  sorrow,  nor  doubt, 
nor  fear,  shall  they  ever  know  again.  In  that  day 
"God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes;  and 
there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain:  for  the  former' 
things  are  passed  away." 

Why  then  should  the  Christian  fear  death  ?  Why 
dread  the  hour  which  will  restore  him  to  the  imasre  of 
God,  and  introduce  him  to  immortal  blessedness?  Is  it 
not  gain,  infinite  gain,  to  die? 

"  Death  is  the  crown  of  life : 
Were  death  denied,  poor  man  would  live  in  vain; 
Were  death  denied,  to  live  would  not  be  life  ; 
Were  death  denied,  even  fools  might  wish  to  die. 
Death  wounds  to  cure ;  we  foil ;  we  rise ;  we  reign  I 
Spring  from  our  fetters;  fasten  in  the  skies; 
Where  blooming  Eden  -withers  in  our  sight. 
Death  gives  us  more  than  was  in  Eden  lost. 
The  king  of  terrors  is  the  prince  of  peace." — Young, 


PART  FOURTH. 


THE  SUN  AS  THE  SOURCE  OF  ACTINISM, 
OR  CHEMICAL  POWER. 


ANALOGY  I. 

As  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Nature  descend  with  threefold  power,  and  not 
only  illumine  and  heat  but  also  work  a  change  tn  the  constitution  of  the 
substances  upon  which  they  fall; — so  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Eighteous- 
ness  not  only  enlighten  and  warm  but  regenerate  the  soul  into  which 
they  enter. 

Phenomena. 

HE  sunbeam,  however  slender,  combines  in 
its  silvery  thread  three  distinct 'sorts  or 
species  of  rays ;  and  these  produce  on  the 
objects  or  substances  upon  which  they  fall 
three  different  effects.  Two  of  these,  light 
and  heat,  which  have  engaged  our  study 
in  the  preceding  parts  of  this  work,  have 
been  well  known  for  thousands  of  years, 
even  from  the  beginning ;  but  the  third  was  not  discov- 
ered until  towards  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  has 
been  successfully  studied  and  applied  to  artistic  pur- 
poses only  within  the  last  fifty  years — this  is  its  actinic 
or  chemical  power.  This  is  as  distinct  from  light  and 
heat  as  light  and  heat  are  from  each  other.  These  three 
effects  of  the  Sun  may  be  illustrated  by  a  familiar  exam- 

(534) 


CHEMICAL   POWER. 


535 


pie.  The  solar  beam,  falling  upon  the  naked  hand, 
illumines  it,  and  so  affects  the  sense  of  sight;  it  also 
warms  it,  and  thus  affects  the  sense  of  touch  or  general 
feeling ;  in  addition  to  both  these,  it  tans  it,  which  is  an 
effect  not  directly  cognizable  by  either  of  those  senses, 
but  is  a  modification  of  the  chemical  condition  of  the 
substances  composing  the  skin. 

To  make  this  power  of  the  sunbeam  plain  to  the  unin- 
itiated we  must  refer  again  to  the  solar  spectrum.  In 
the  annexed  figure,  the  band  SM  represents  the  whole 
extent  of  the  spectrum,  visible  and  invisible.  The 
curved  lines  II,  L,  A,  indicate  the  extent  and  intensity 


N  P  M 

INTENSITY  OF   HEAT,  LIGHT   AND   ACTINISM. 

of  heat,  light  and  actinism  respectively.  The  part  NP  of 
the  band,  made  up  of  the  spaces  marked  r,  o,  y,  g,  b,  i,  v, 
(the  initials  of  the  seven  colors)  represents  the  light  or 
visible  portion  of  the  spectrum;  SN,  that  portion  of  the 
heat  rays  lying  beyond  the  light  rays,  on  the  left ;  and 
PM,  the  actinic  rays  falling  beyond  the  light  rays,  to  the 
right.  Now,  if  a  thermometer  be  placed  at  S,  and  slowly 
moved  toward  the  right,  the  mercury  will  rise  as  indi- 
cated by  the  curved  line  until  it  reaches  H,  its  highest 
point;  after  this  it  will  gradually  sink,  and,  about  the 
middle  of  v,  return  to  the  point  or  level  from  which  it 
started.  In  a  similar  manner,  beginning  at  N,  the  light 
gradually  increases,  and  at  L,  attains  its  highest  degree 


536  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  intensity ;  from  thence  it  slowly  declines,  and  at  P 
becomes  extinct.  So  with  actinism,  commencing  about 
the  middle  of  g,  it  increases  rapidly  until  it  reaches  A, 
and  from  which  it  diminishes  about  as  rapidly,  and  goes 
out  at  M.  Thus  the  height  of  these  three  curves  verti- 
cally above  the  spectrum  indicates  the  relative  intensity 
of  the  heat,  light  and  actinism  of  the  point  in  the  spec- 
trum immediately  below.  Both  heat  and  actinism,  it  will 
be  observed,  attain  their  greatest  intensity  beyond,  or 
outside  of  the  light  or  visible  portion  of  the  spectrum. 
It  will  also  be  noticed  that  from  S  to  N,  there  is  heat 
only ;  that  from  P  to  M,  there  is  actinic  action  only ; 
while  from  N  to  P,  the  action  of  two,  or  of  all  three,  are 
combined.  Thus  heat  is  associated  with  the  red  end  of 
the  spectrum,  and  parts  beyond ;  chemical  action  with 
the  violet  end,  and  parts  beyond ;  and  light  has  its  chief 
point  of  intensity  lying  in  the  yellow. 

When  a  sunbeam,  then,  is  received  upon  and  passed 
through  a  prism,  the  visible  spectrum  marks  only  an 
interval  of  the  rays  that  fall  upon  the  screen  or  wall, 
namely,  those  which  are  so  related  to  the  nerve  of  vision 
as  to  excite  in  it  the  impression  of  light.  Beyond  this 
interval,  iii  both  directions,  rays  fall — invisible  rays ; 
those  falling  beyond  the  red  being  powerful  to  produce 
heat,  while  those  falling  beyond  the  violet  are  powerful 
to  promote  chemical  action.  These  three  different  effects 
result  from  difference  in  the  length  of  the  waves  pro- 
duced in  the  ether,  as  described  in  a  former  chapter. 
The  spectrum  is  to  the  eye  what  the  scale  of  sounds  is  to 
the  ear.  All  sound  is  produced  by  vibrations  in  the 
atmosphere,  and  all  light  by  undulations  in  the  luminif- 
erous  ether.  Now  the  vibrations  of  a  harp-string,  or 
piano-cord,  which  are  longer  and  slower  than  1 6  to  a 
gecond  of  time,  cannot  be  heard ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 


CHEMICAL   POWER.  537 

those  which  are  shorter  and  faster  than  16,000  to  the 
second  dannot  be  heard.  Vibrations,  indeed,  there  are 
below  the  former  and  above  the  latter,  but  neither  is 
competent  to  produce  the  sense  of  sound  in  the  human 
ear,  at  least  in  its  normal  condition.  So  it  is  with  the 
ether  weaves  and  the  human  eye ;  beyond  the  violet, 
these  waves  are  too  short  and  rapid  to  be  visible ;  and 
beyond  the  red,  in  the  opposite  direction,  they  are  too 
long  and  slow  to  be  visible.  "  Both  as  ^-egards  light  and 
sound,  our  organs  of  sight  and  hearing  embrace  a  certain 
practical  range,  beyond  which,  on  both  sides,  though  the 
objective  cause  exists,  our  nerves  cease  to  be  influenced 
by  it." 

Though  the  actinic  rays  of  the  Sun  are  not  perceptible 
to  the  eye,  yet  their  existence  is  abundantly  proved  by 
their  effects  on  various  substances.  If  a  photographic 
plate,  that  is,  a  plate  having  its  surface  coated  with 
certain  chemicals  that  are  sensitive  to  the  influence  of 
the  Sun's  rays,  be  exposed  to  the  operation  of  the  spec- 
trum, it  is  observed  that  red  and  yellow  make  only  a  very 
feeble  impression  upon  it.  Light  blue  produces  more 
efiect,  but  dark  indigo  and  violet  the  most;  and  in  the 
space  where  no  rays  can  be  perceived  by  our  eyes,  a 
distinct  impression  is  produced,  and  extends  beyond 
violet  for  a  space  almost  as  long  as  the  visible  part  of  the 
spectrum.  And  from  this  fiict  the  existence  of  the  ultra- 
violet, or  actinic  rays  was  ascertained. 

Many  of  the  chemical  effects  of  the   Sun's  light  are, 

and  long  have  been,  familiar.     Linen  and  cotton  cloth 

exposed  to  it,  for  a  length  of  time,  as  is  well  known,  will 

be  bleached ;  and  fabrics  dyed  of  certain   colors  will  be 

faded,  or  changed  into  a  different   shade.     Yellow  wax 

laid  beneath  the  solar  rays  will  be   turned  white ;   and 

the  colorless  horn  silver,  in  a  few  minutes,  changed  into 

a  violet  tint.     And  so  of  manv  other  substances. 
33  -^ 


538  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

The  chemical  action  of  the  Sun  is  powerful  to  decom- 
pose the  chlorides,  bromides  and  iodides  of  gold,  mercury, 
silver,  and  even  platinum.  Under  its  continuous  opera- 
tion, nitric  acid,  which  is  colorless,  becomes  yellow,  and 
in  part  is  deprived  of  its  oxygen,  and  in  part  reduced  to 
vapor  ;  and  similar  effects  take  place  in  a  great  number 
of  other  oxidized  compounds.  Exposed  to  the  solar 
light,  chlorine  and  hydrogen  will  in  an  instant  combine 
with  explosive  forpe,  and  form  hydro-chloric  acid.  Bun- 
sen  and  Roscoe  have  calculated  that  the  power  of  the 
Sun,  in  this  respect,  is  sufficient  to  transform  a  volume 
of  chlorine  and  hydrogen  gas  enveloping  the  entire  globe 
to  the  height  of  114  feet,  in  a  single  minute  of  time. 

But  not  to  multiply  particulars  of  this  kind,  a  single 
experiment  will  suffice  to  convince  the  reader  of  the 
great  chemical  power  of  the  Sun's  rays.  "  If  a  solution 
of  peroxalate  of  iron  be  kept  in  a  dark  place,  or  if  it  be  ex- 
posed for  hours  together  to  a  heat  of  212°  of  Fahr.,  it  does 
not  undergo  any  sensible  change  in  its  physical  properties, 
nor  does  it  exhibit  any  phenomenon  which  may  be  con- 
sidered as  the  result  of  any  elementary  action.  If,  how- 
ever, it  be  exposed  to  the  influence  of  solar  light,  in  a 
glass  vessel  provided  with  a  tube,  the  concentrated 
solution  of  oxalate  of  iron  soon  presents  a  very  interesting 
phenomenon  :  in  a  short  time  the  solution  receiving  the 
solar  rays  develops  an  infinite  number  of  bubbles  of  gas, 
which  rise  in  the  liquor  with  increasing  rapidity,  and 
give  the  solution  the  appearance  of  a  syrup  undergoing 
strong  fermentation.  This  ebullition  always  becomes 
stronger,  and  almost  tumultuous,  when  an  unpolished 
glass  tube  is  immersed  in  it  with  a  small  piece  of  wood; 
the  liquid  itself  is  afterwards  thrown  into  ascending  and 
descending  currents,  becomes  gradually  yellowish,  turbid, 
and  eventually   precipitates  peroxalate  of  iron,  in   the 


CHEMICAL  POWER.  539 

form  of  small  brilliant  crystals  of  a  lemon-yellow  color, 
gas  continuing  to  evolve."  *  To  this  we  may  add 
another  and  a  similar  fact :  "  When  a  solution  of  pla^ 
tinum  in  nitro-muriatic  acid  is  mixed  with  lime  water,  in 
the  dark,  no  precipitation  takes  place ;  but  if  the  mix- 
ture is  exposed  to  sunshine,  it  instantly  becomes  milky, 
and  a  copious  formation  of  a  white  precipitate  takes  place, 
which  subsides  quickly  and  is  easily  collected.  The 
same  takes  place  more  slowly  in  cloudy  daylight." f  Facts 
such  as  these  have  led  to  many  practical  operations  of 
great  importance. 

But  we  return  to  the  more  familiar  effects  of  solar 
chemistry.  If  a  piece  of  paper,  or  a  finger,  be  dipped  in 
lunar  caustic,  and  then  be  exposed  to  the  Sun,  it  will 
quickly  turn  black.  If  initial  letters  or  names  be  written 
on  linen  with  what  is  called  indelible  ink,  they  will  be 
at  first  quite  pale,  but  by  a  sjiort  exposure  to  the  sun- 
light they  turn  dark.  If  a  sheet  of  paper  be  plunged 
into  a  solution  of  common  salt,  then  dried,  and  again  be 
dipped  into  a  solution  of  silver,  it  becomes  so  sensitive  to 
the  action  of  the  sunrays,  that  ferns  and  leaves  such  as 
those  represented  in  Fig.  1,  placed  upon  it,  and  then 
exposed  to  the  summer's  Sun,  the  uncovered  part  of  the 
paper  will  turn  black,  while  that  beneath  the  ferns  and 
leaves  will  remain  white,  presenting  an  exact  impress  of 
the  whole  group,  as  in  Fig.  2.  Nothing  can  give  a  more 
beautiful  picture  of  them;  the  light  works  through  the 
slender  leaves,  but  not  through  the  thicker  and  more 
compact  stems,  and  thus  copies  all,  even  to  the  minutest 
veins.  This  process  has  been  turned  to  important  prac- 
tical purposes ;  it  has  been  of  great  service,  for  example, 
in  military  operations,  where  it  was  necessary  to  make 
quickly  a  copy  of  some  map  of  which  there  was   only 

'Philosophical  Magazine,  2d  Series.  "f  Ibid. 


540 


THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 


one  impression.  If  a  duplicate  had  to  be  made  with 
hand,  it  would  require  several  days  to  accomplish  it;  nor 
would  it  then  have  been  as  correct  as  that  printed  by  the 
Sun  in  the  above  manner. 

It  is  by  the  chemical  action  of  the  Sun,  as  is  well 
known,  that  the  photographer  brings  forth  his  marvellous 
productions — productions  which  are  not  only  of  pleasing 
personal  interest,  but  of  the  greatest  practical  value  in 
art,  science,  and  literature.     By  the  simple  action  of  the 


^m 

'A 

Bl 

;PS^.     n... 

Fig.l. 


WREATHS  COPIED  BY  THE  SUN. 


Fig.  2. 


sunrays  upon  certain  substances  overspreading  the  sur- 
face of  metallic  or  paper  tablets,  he  can  obtain  an  accu- 
rate likeness  of  any  person,  place,  or  thing  he  may  de- 
sire. In  this  way  he  is  enabled  to  preserve  for  us  the 
lineaments  of  those  who  have  benefited  their  race  by 
their  learning,  their  skill  or  their  bravery.  By  the 
agency  of  the  very  rays  which  illumine  the  countenance 
and  reveal  the  brilliancy  of  the  laughing  eye  and  the 
charm  of  the  roseate  cheek,  he  can  at  once  secure  for  us 


CHEMICAL   POWEfi.  541 

a  lifelike  picture  of  the  form  and  features  we  most  ad- 
mire and  love.  In  the  same  manner  he  can  copy  the 
outlines  and  details  of  natural  scenery  with  perfect  fidel- 
ity. In  his  picture  will  be  found  every  undulation  of 
the  landscape,  every  projecting  rock,  every  sinuous 
stream,  each  spreading  tree,  each  grazing  ox,  the  peas- 
ant's home,  the  village  spire,  together  with  every  other 
object  and  feature  in  the  scene — these,  all  these,  he  can 
faithfully  transfer  to  his  plate,  in  all  their  varied  and 
delicate  shades,  by  the  sole  agency  of  the  sunbeams  which 
illuminate  the  whole. 

The  chemistry  of  the  solar  rays,  in  our  day,  has 
become  a  most  important  auxiliary  to  nearly  every  branch 
of  human  study  or  investigation.  By  its  means  the 
traveller  is  enabled  to  bring  home  accurate  representar- 
tions  of  the  scenery,  inhabitants,  and  productions  he 
has  witnessed  in  foreign  climes;  the  geologist,  to  secure 
unerrins:  delineations  of  the  marvellous  fossils  of  the  flora 
and  fiiuna  he  has  discovered  in  the  deep  strata  of  the 
earth ;  the  astronomer,  to  present  the  transient  appear- 
ances of  the  eclipses  he  has  observed  in  the  heavens ;  the 
meteorologist,  to  furnish  a  correct  registry  of  his  barome- 
ter and  thermometer  through  each  hour,  each  minute  of 
the  day;  the  antiquarian,  to  obtain  a  fac-simile  of  the 
ruined  temples,  broken  statuary,  and  obscured  inscriptions 
which  he  has  found  on  the  fields  of  ancient  civilization 
and  power ;  the  botanist,  to  copy  with  nature's  exactness 
the  forms  and  parts  of  plants,  the  stamens,  and  corolla, 
and  pistils,  and  pollen  of  flowers;  and  the  anatomist,  to 
exhibit  the  various  organs  and  functions  of  the  body  both 
in  their  normal  and  abnormal  conditions. 

As  nothing  is  more  general  in  its  application,  so 
notbiuf^  is  more  perfect  and  admirable  in  its  execution, 
than  the  sunbeam.     No  object  is  too  great,  and  none  too 


542  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

minute  for  it  to  depict.  It  can  give  us  large  pictures, 
with  every  detail  perfect  and  in  its  right  proportion,  of 
the  minutest  objects,  such  as  insects  and  animalcula; 
and  it  can  furnish  us  with  microscopic  pictures,  equally 
correct,  of  objects  huge  or  vast.  This  is  achieved  by  the 
intervention  of  lenses  that  magnify  or  diminish  the 
image.  Microscopic  photography  is  of  great  importance 
in  relation  to  anatomic  preparations,  which  quickly 
change  and  become  decomposed ;  it  is  also  of  very  essen- 
tial help  in  the  study  of  fixed  and  permanent  bodies. 
Jewelry,  and  even  toys  are  sometimes  made,  containing 
minute  photographs  beneath  small  magnifying  glasses. 
When  these  are  held  before  the  eye,  small  transparent 
images,  some  of  them  portraits,  some  statues,  and  others 
writings,  come  into  view  in  admirable  perfection.  Such 
things,  however,  serve  rather  for  amusement  than  use. 
But  there  are  cases  where  microscopic  photography  may 
prove  of  no  little  value  and  importance.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  in  this  way  the  contents  of  ponderous  vol- 
umes might  be  concentrated  within  a  few  square  inches, 
and  the  books  of  a  whole  library  be  reduced  within  the 
capacity  of  a  single  drawer.  Though  nothing  of  this 
sort,  as  far  as  the  author  is  aware,  has  thus  far  been  done, 
yet  the  process  has  been  employed  for  other  ends  under 
most  interesting  circumstances. 

Professor  Hermann  Vogel  relates  that,  "during  the 
siege  of  Paris,  in  1870,  the  blockaded  city  held  commu- 
nication with  the  world  outside  by  means  of  balloons  and 
carrier  pigeons.  The  first  mode  of  communication  was 
almost  engrossed  for  political  objects;  the  second  only 
admitted  the  transmission  of  very  minute  writing.  Let- 
ters, however  condensed,  could  scarcely  have  been  sent 
more  than  two  or  three  at  a  time  by  a  pigeon.  In  this 
case,    microscopic    photography    presented    a    valuable 


CHEMICAL  POWER.  543 

means  of  concentrating  many  pages  on  a  collodion  film 
of  only  one  square  inch,  and  of  expediting  more  than  a 
dozen  of  such  almost  imponderable  films  packed  in  one 
quill.  Dagrand,  at  Paris,  who  first  prepared  microscopic 
photographs,  also  set  going  the  system  of  these  pigeon 
despatches.  All  the  correspondence  which  had  to  be 
diminished  was  first  set  up  in  type,  and  printed  together 
on  a  folio  page.  A  microscopic  photograph  was  made  of 
this  folio  page,  contained  in  about  the  space  of  li  square 
inches.  This  collodion  film,  with  the  image  upon  it,  was 
then  glazed  over  by  pouring  leather  collodion  over  it ; 
that  is,  collodion  containing  a  solution  of  glycerine. 
This  glucose  collodion  easily  dries,  separates  from  the 
picture,  and  forms  a  transparent  film ;  a  membrane  of 
this  kind  could  contain  as  many  as  fifteen  hundred  de- 
spatches. At  the  place  of  arrival  these  membranes  were 
unrolled,  and  then  enlarged  by  the  help  of  a  magic  lan- 
tern;  a  number  of  writers  thereupon  set  to  work  to  copy 
the  enlarged  despatches,  and  ultimately  forwarded  them 
to  their  respective  addresses.  Thus  Paris  corresponded, 
by  the  aid  of  photography,  for  six  months  with  the 
world  without,  and  even  poor  persons  were  able  to  let 
their  relatives  know  that  they  still  lived." 

Another  marvellous  fact  pertaining  to  the  chemistry  of 
the  solar  rays  is,  the  rapidity  with  which  it  produces  its 
effects  upon  certain  substances.  A  new  negative  process 
has  lately  been  discovered  ;  it  consists  in  the  use  of  a  gela- 
tine emulsion  of  silver  bromide  for  the  sensitive  surface. 
With  a  plate  thus  prepared,  a  photograph  may  now  be 
taken  in  one  second  of  time  which  it  formerly  took  thirt}* 
seconds  to  secure ;  and  a  plate  can  be  prepared  which 
needs  an  exposure  of  only  one-sixtieth  of  a  .second,  when 
a  view  is  fairly  lighted  to  secure  a  soft  and  harmonious 
negative.     Thus  it  appears  that  solar  rays  are  capable  of 


544  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

instantaneous  chemical  action,  and  of  producing  for  us  a 
perfect  picture  of  a  man  in  full  activity,  or  of  an  object 
in  rapid  motion.  The  likeness  of  an  orator  may  be 
taken  at  the  moment  of  his  highest  pitch  of  eloquence, 
giving  not  only  his  attitude  and  gesticulation,  but  the 
very  expression  of  his  features.  A  squadron  of  cavalry 
can  be  pictured  as  they  advance  with  rushing  speed  to 
the  deadly  charge,  each  man,  each  horse  appearing  a 
distinct  figure  in  the  scene.  Nay,  a  view  has  been  taken 
in  which  the  shadow  and  reflection  of  a  swallow  passing 
in  the  air  over  a  pond  were  perfectly  represented.  How 
wonderful  the  workings  of  the  laws  of  nature !  how 
closely  related  all  its  parts !  how  admirably  constituted 
every  ray  of  the  Sun  to  move  every  atom  of  the  earth  to 
accomplish  the  purposes  of  him  who  worketh  all  in  all ! 

We  have  now  seen  a  variety  of  examples  of  the  chemi- 
cal action  of  the  Sun  on  different  substances,  liquid  and 
solid  and  gaseous,  and  the  list  might  easily  be  extended; 
but  suffice  it  to  say,  as  Niepce  long  since  asserted,  that 
no  substance,  simple  or  compound,  organic  or  inorganic, 
can  be  exposed  to  the  solar  rays  without  undergoing  a 
chemical  change.  Actinism  is  one  of  the  great  and  uni- 
versal powers  of  creation,  and  is  incessantly  at  work  with 
all  that  covers  the  whole  surface  of  the  globe. 

Teachings. 
The  foregoing  facts,  illustrating  the  chemical  action  of 
the  solar  rays,  are  suggestive  of  much  spiritual  instruc- 
tion. As  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  nature  not  only  illu- 
mine and  heat,  but  also,  as  we  have  just  seen,  work  a 
change  in  the  constitution  of  the  substances  upon  which 
they  fall:  so  the  beams  of  the  jSim  of  Riyldeoiisvcss.  the 
beams  of  his  truth  and  gracious  Spirit,  not  onli/  enlighten 
and  warm,  but  regenerate  the  soul  into  ivliich  they  enter. 
The  points  in  this  analogy  are  many  and  striking. 


CHEMICAL  POWER.  545 

The  influences  of  the  sunbeam  are  various ;  it  may 
both  illumine  and  warm  without  producing  any  change 
in  the  substance  upon  which  it  falls,  its  chemical  rays 
being  deflected,  as  by  a  prism,  or  intercepted  as  by  a 
plate  of  yellow  glass,  which  is  impervious  to  them.  So 
divine  truth  may  impart  light  to  the  mind,  and  stir  up 
the  emotions  of  the  heart,  and  yet  effect  not  the  saving 
change,  its  power  for  this  being  frustrated  by  some  carnal 
passion,  or  besetting  sin.  Herod  heard  John  gladly,  and 
Felix  trembled  as  Paul  reasoned  of  temperance,  righteous- 
ness and  judgment;  but  in  neither  did  the  word  spoken 
effect  a  transformation  from  sin  unto  holiness.  The  seed 
that  fell  among  thorns  and  that  upon  the  stony  ground 
both  came  to  naught. 

The  chemical  rays  of  the  Sun  are  endowed  with  power 
to  affect  all  earthly  substances,  of  whatever  nature,  form, 
or  magnitude.  So  the  words  of  divine  truth  are  fitted 
to  influence  men,  and  to  renew  them,  of  whatever  posi- 
tion, talents,  or  character  they  may  be — a  Nicodemus 
in  the  Sanhedrim,  a  Cornelius  in  the  army,  a  Peter  in  his 
fishing-boat,  or  a  Lazarus  in  his  beggary. 

The  actinic  rays  of  the  Sun  are  invisible  to  the  human 
eye,  and  are  known  only  by  their  effects.  So  the  spiritual 
power  with  which  divine  truth  is  imbued  cannot  be  seen 
by  the  eye  of  sense,  but  is  known  only  by  its  fruits — 
making  the  sinful  holy,  the  licentious  pure,  the  vicious 
moral,  the  prayerless  prayerful,  the  rebellious  obedient, 
the  angry  and  revengeful  meek  and  mild  and  gentle. 

As  the  chemical  rays  of  the  Sun,  falling  upon  such 
substances  as  the  solution  of  iron  we  have  contemplated, 
set  it  as  in  fermenting  activity,  and  transform  it  into  glit- 
tering crystals — so  the  words  of  Christ,  entering  the 
heart,  sets  its  emotions  and  affections  in  commotion,  and 
change  it  into  its  own  spirit.     "  The  kingdom  of  heaven 


546  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

is  like  unto  leaven,  which  a  woman  took,  and  hid  in  three 
measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole  was  leavened." 

The  sunbeams,  as  we  have  seen,  affect  some  substances 
slowly,  while  upon  others  they  produce  their  chemical 
effect  almost  instantaneously.  So  the  words  of  divine 
grace ;  while  in  some  minds  they  work  a  gradual  change, 
in  others  produce  a  complete  transformation  as  in  a  mo- 
ment ;  the  image  of  Christ,  like  the  human  face  on  the 
sensitized  plate,  being  at  once  imprinted  upon  the  soul,  as 
in  the  case  of  Zaccheus  the  publican,  and  Paul  the  apostle. 

As  the  chemical  power  of  the  Sun  dissolves  the  bond 
of  afFmity  which  unites  the  elements  of  certain  compound 
bodies,  so  that  they  are  released  and  separated  one  from 
another ;  so  the  power  of  divine  truth  relaxes  the  soul's 
affinity  for  that  which  is  evil  and  sinful,  and  sets  it  free  to 
unite  with  that  which  is  good  and  pure  and  holy.  "  The 
word  of  God  is  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper  than  any 
two-edged  sword,  piercing  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul 
and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner 
of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart." 

The  chemical  action  of  the  sunrays,  in  connection  with 
the  dews  of  the  morning,  bleaches  the  dusky  fabric  to 
pure  whiteness.  So  sin-stained  souls  "  are  sanctified  by 
the  washing  of  water  and  the  word  of  truth."  "Sanctify 
them  through  thy  truth;  thy  word  is  truth,"  was  the 
prayer  of  the  Saviour. 

As  the  solar  chemistry  proves  itself  an  important 
auxiliary  to  every  human  study  and  pursuit :  so  the 
teachings  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  are  of  vital  aid  to 
man  in  all  the  vocations  and  duties  of  life,  being  "profit- 
able for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruc- 
tion in  righteousness,  tiiat  the  man  of  God  may  be  per- 
fect, thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good  works." 

As  the  chemical  rays  of  the  Sun  of  nature  give  a  true 


CHEMICAL   POWER.  547 

picture  of  the  landscape  that  lies  before  us,  even  to  its 
minutest  particulars  and  finest  shades :  so  the  beams 
of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  portray  with  truth  and 
unerring  fidelity  the  eternal  scenes  upon  which  we  all  are 
soon  to  enter. 

Finally,  these  invisible  rays  of  the  Sun  of  nature  offer 
important  aid  to  our  conception  of,  and  strength  to  our 
faith  in,  the  spiritual  things  revealed  to  us  by  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness.  "  When  we  remember  that  our  organs 
of  vision  and  hearing  are  capable  of  receiving  impressions, 
either  of  light  or  sound,  only  when  the  rapidity  of  the 
undulations  which  cause  them  is  comprised  within  cer- 
tain very  narrow  limits;  and  when  we  recall  the  facts 
that  there  are  waves  of  light  and  sound  of  which  our  dull 
senses  take  no  cognizance  ;  that  there  is  a  great  difference 
even  in  human  perceptivity ;  and  that  some  men,  more 
gifted  than  others,  can  see  colors  or  hear  sounds  which 
are  invisible  or  inaudible  to  the  great  bulk  of  mankind, 
you  will  appreciate  how  possible  it  is  that  there  may  be 
a  world  of  spiritual  existence  around  us — inhabiting  this 
same  globe,  enjoying  this  same  nature — of  which  we 
have  no  perception ;  that  in  fact  the  wonders  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  may  be  in  our  midst,  and  the  songs  of  the 
angelic  hosts  filling  the  air  with  their  celestial  harmony, 
although  unheard  and  unseen  by  us.  Let  me  not  bo 
understood  as  implying  that  science  has  in  any  sense 
revealed  to  us  a  spiritual  world,  or  that  it  gives  the 
slightest  shadow  of  support  to  those  products  of  impos- 
ture, credulity,  and  superstition,  which,  under  the  name 
of  witchcraft,  mesmerism,  or  spiritualism,  have  in  every 
age  of  the- world  deceived  so  many.  The  only  revelation 
man  has  received  of  a  spiritual  existence  is  contained  in 
the  Bible ;  but  modern  science  has  rendered  the  concep- 
tion of  such  an  existence  possible,  and  in  this  way  has 


548  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

removed  a  source  of  doubt.  The  materialist  can  no 
longer  say  that  the  spiritual  world  is  inconceivable  ;  for 
these  discoveries  show  that  it  may  be  included  in  the 
very  scheme  of  nature  in  which  we  live,  and  thus,  al- 
though science  may  not  remove  the  veil,  it  at  least 
answers  this  cavil  of  materialism."* 


ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  chemical  action  of  the  Sun  varies  with  the  progress  of  the  seasons,  to 
meet  the  varying  requirements  of  vegetation  from  its  germination  to  its 
malurilij ; — so  the  gracious  influences  of  the  Sun  of  Itighteousness  vary 
according  to  the  wants  and  circumstances  of  his  followers,  from  the  day 
of  their  spiritual  birth  to  that  of  their  full  fruition  in  the  kingdom  of 
glory. 

Phenomena. 
Matter,  all  matter,  is  endowed  with  certain  proper- 
ties, and  these  properties,  by  the  Creator's  will,  are  fixed 
and  permanent.  All  its  forces  are  uniform  and  invari- 
able in  their  operations.  Gravitation  is  a  property  of 
matter,  and  this  acts  always  and  everywhere  according 
to  the  same  rule.  Chemical  affinity  is  another  property, 
and  under  its  power  combinations  take  place  always  and 
everywhere  in  the  same  exact  proportions.  In  like  man- 
ner, the  forces  of  light  and  heat  work  always  and  every- 
where after  the  same  fixed  and  definite  modes.  Elec- 
tricity and  magnetism  also  operate  always  and  everywhere 
in  strict  conformity  to  the  same  reguhitions.  No  inves- 
tigation, no  experiment,  has  ever  detected  one  of  these 
forces  acting  at  variance  with  its  established  laws.  But 
though  these  individual  forces  are  thus  invariable  in 
their  operations,  yet  the  action  of  one  may  affect,  may 
intensify  or  weaken,  balance  or  neutralize,  that  of  another; 

*  Cooke's  Eeligion  of  Chemislr}/,  p.  107. 


CHEMICAL   POWER.  549 

and  thus  fixed  laws  may  produce  an  endless  variety  of 
results.  As  a  matter  of  Hict,  no  one  force  determines  any 
of  the  operations  that  take  place  in  nature  around  us. 
Every  product  or  operation  that  we  witness  is  the  result 
of  different  forces  nicel}^  balanced,  and  nicely  modifying 
one  another. 

Now  this  is  eminently  true  of  the  great  forces  of  the 
sunlight,  heat  and  actinism.  While  the  action  of  each  of 
these,  as  put  forth  by  the  solar  orb,  is  uniformly  the  same, 
yet,  as  they  come  in  contact  or  conflict  with  other  forces, 
each  is  altered  or  modified  in  its  action.  In  passing 
through  the  stratum  of  atmosphere  which  envelops  our 
globe,  composed  of  different  gases  and  aqueous  vapors,  the 
light,  the  heat,  and  the  chemical  action  of  the  sunbeam 
are  each  reduced  in  intensity,  and  that  in  proportion  to 
the  distance  they  have  to  travel  through  that  atmosphere. 
Hence,  this  reduction  is  greatest  when  the  distance  is 
greatest ;  that  is,  when  the  Sun  is  in  the  horizon ;  and 
least  when  the  distance  is  least;  that  is,  when  he  is  at 
the  zenith,  to  any  particular  point  of  the  earth's  surface. 
And  between  these  two  points  the  reduction  varies  as  his 
altitude  varies  with  the  hour  of  the  da}^  or  the  season  of 
the  year. 

It  follows,  hence,  that  the  chemical  effect  of  the  sunlight 
is  very  feeble  early  in  the  morning  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon ;  that  it  increases  as  the  Sun  rises  above  the  horizon, 
and  that  it  attains  its  greatest  intensity  about  noon.  For 
the  same  reason  the  chemical  action  of  the  Sun  must  be 
more  intense  on  the  summit  of  a  high  mountain  than  at 
its  base,  and  this  has  been  proved  to  be  the  case  by  actual 
experiments  made  on  the  Alps.  The  condition  of  the 
atmosphere,  as  being  more  or  less  obscured  by  clouds 
and  vapors,  also  very  sensibly  affects  the  intensity  of  the 
solar  chemistry. 


550  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

A^the  altitude  of  the  Sun,  on  any  particular  day  and 
hour,  varies  according  to  the  latitude  of  a  place,  it  follows 
that  his  actinic  power  must  vary  in  the  same  manner.  At 
Berlin,  latitude  52J°  N.,  according  to  Bunsen,  the  chemi- 
cal power  of  the  sunlight  for  the  different  hours  of  the 
day,  expressed  in  degrees,  stands  as  follows : 

10  A.  M.        1  P.  M.       2  P.  M.       3  P.  M.       4  P.  M.       5  P.  M.       6  P.  M. 

Summer 38°  38°  38°  37°  35°  30°  24° 

Winter 20°  18°  15°  9°  0°  0°  0° 

It  will  be  observed  from  these  figures  that  the  chemical 
action  of  the  Sun,  in  the  winter,  is  comparatively  feeble. 
It  is  also  noticeable  that  in  summer  his  chemical  effect 
remains  almost  the  same  from  10  A.  M,  to  2  p.  m.,  and  that 
afterward  it  diminishes  rapidly.  For  this  reason  photo- 
graphers prefer  this  earlier  portion  of  the  day  for  taking 
their  finest  heliograph  pictures. 

When  a  beam  of  pure  white  sunlight  falls  upon  any 
particular  object,  a  flower,  for  example,  its  three  several 
forces  act  conjointly  and  simultaneously  upon  it.  But 
means  have  been  discovered  to  sift  them,  that  is,  to*  in- 
tercept one  while  the  others  pass  on  to  produce  their 
natural  effects.  Glasses  or  fluids  of  various  colors  are 
found  effectual  to  accomplish  this.  When  a  pencil  of 
sunlight  falls  upon  one  of  these,  it  will,  according  to  its 
color,  absorb  certain  of  its  rays  while  it  will  allow  the 
others  to  pass  through.  The  separation,  however,  is  not 
complete,  but  approximate.  This  will  be  at  once  under- 
stood from  a  few  results  obtained  with  differently  colored 
media.  The  following  table  exhibits  the  percentage  of 
light  rays,  heat  rays,  and  chemical  rays  transmitted 
respectively  by  the  media  whose  names  are  given  : 

Light.  Heat.  Actinism. 

Solution  of  Bichromate  of  Potash 87  92                   27 

Solution  of  Sulphate  of  Chromium 85  92                     7 

Blue  Glasses 40  72                  90 

Solution  of  Sulphate  of  Copper 60  54                   93 

Solution  of  Ammoniate  of  Copper 25  48                   94 


CHEMICAL  POWER.  661 

A  glance  at  the  above  figures  makes  it  very  of)vious 
that  the  action  of  the  chemical  rays  will  be  obtained  from 
the  last  three  of  these  colored  media,  and  the  action  of  the 
luminous  and  heating  rays  from  the  first  two,  where  the 
chemical  rays  are  comparatively  feeble. 

To  the  above  we  may  add  that,  yellow  glass,  or  the 
yellow  medium  of  chlorine  gas,  or  the  yellow  solution  of 
the  sulphurate  of  calcium,  will  obstruct  nearly  all  actinic 
or  chemical  action.  Blue  glass,  or  a  blue  solution,  inter- 
cepts light,  and  transmits  actinism.  And  the  direct  rays 
of  the  setting  Sun,  when  passing  through  an  atmosphere 
which  reduces  its  light  to  a  red  or  rich  yellow  color,  pro- 
duce no  chemical  change. 

The  various  influences  of  sunlight  on  vegetable  life 
have  long  been  studied  both  by  botanists  and  chemists. 
As  long  ago  as  1835,  M.  Daubeny  made  a  series  of  in- 
teresting experiments  on  the  action  of  light  by  means  of 
glasses  and  fluids  of  various  colors.  This  curious  subject 
has  since  been  studied  in  a  more  general  aspect  by  the 
philosophic  Robert  Hunt.  Not  content  with  ascertaining, 
as  many  of  his  predecessors  had  done,  the  action  of  the 
Sun's  white  and  undeconi posed  light  upon  the  germination 
and  growth  of  plants.  Professor  Hunt  availed  himself  of 
the  discovery  of  the  invisible  rays,  and  sought  to  determine 
the  peculiar  influence  of  these,  and  of  the  various  colored 
raj^s,  upon  the  germination  of  seeds,  the  growth  of  wood, 
and  the  other  functions  of  plants.  He  made  arrangements 
by  which  he  could  submit  living  plants  to  an  excess  or 
deficiency  of  red,  yellow,  or  blue  rays ;  to  an  excess  or 
deficiency  of  heating  rays  and  of  chemical  rays.  In  this 
way  he  was  enabled  to  study  successfully  the  influence  of 
these  several  rays,  and  to  determine  the  peculiar  action 
of  each  kind  upon  growing  vegetation,  from  the  germi- 
nation of  its  seed  to  the  maturity  and  ripening  of  its  seed 
or  fruit- 


552  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

The  general  conclusions  reached  by  Professor  Hunt 
from  his  numerous  experiments  and  protracted  study  on 
this  subject,  as  given  by  himself,  are  the  following :  "  The 
seed  is  placed  in  the  soil ;  shade  is  always — absolute 
darkness  sometimes — necessary  for  the  success  of  the 
germinating  process.  We  have  seen  that  the  first  opera- 
tion of  nature  is  peculiarly  a  chemical  one,  but  this 
manifestation  of  affinity  is  due  to  an  exertion  of  force, 
which  is  directly  dependent  upon  solar  power.  If  seeds 
are  placed  under  all  the  necessary  conditions  of  warmth 
and  moisture,  but  exposed  to  unmixed  light,  they  will  not 
germinate  ;  but  if  we  obstruct  the  luminous  ra^^s,  allowing 
the  chemical  power  to  act,  which  is  to  be  done  by  the 
interposition  of  blue  glass,  the  birth  of  the  young  plant 
proceeds  without  any  interruption.  But  let  us  take  a 
truly  natural  example.  The  seed  is  buried  in  the  soil, 
when  the  genial  showers  of  spring,  and  the  increasing 
temperature  of  the  earth,  furnish  the  required  conditions 
for  this  chemistry  of  life  ;  the  plant  eventually  springs  into 
sunshine.  If,  however,  we  place  above  the  soil  a  yellow 
glass — which  we  have  shown  possesses  the  property  of 
separating  light  from  actinism  or  chemical  power — and 
thus  consequently  insure  the  influence  of  only  light  and 
heat  upon  the  soil,  no  seeds  will  germinate.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  a  blue  medium  is  employed,  by  which  actinic 
power,  freed  from  the  interference  of  light,  is  rendered 
more  active,  germination  takes  place  more  readily  than 
usual.  Thus  we  obtain  evidence  that  even  through  some 
depth  of  soil  this  peculiar  solar  power  is  efficient,  and  that 
under  its  excitement  the  first  spring  of  life,  in  the  germ, 
is  effected. 

"  The  cotyledons  and  the  plumule  being  formed,  the  plant 
undergoes  a  remarkable  change.  The  seed,  like  an  ani- 
mal, absorbed  oxygen  and  exhaled  carbonic  acid  )  the  first 


CHEMICAL   POWER.  553 

leaves  secrete  carbon  from  carbonic  acid  inspired,  and  send 
forth,  as  useless  to  the  plant,  an  excess  of  oxygen  gas. 

"  Plants  growing  in  the  light  are  beautifully  green,  the 
intensity  of  coloring  increasing  with  the  brilliancy  of  the 
light.  Those  which  are  grown  in  the  dark  are  etiolated, 
their  tissues  are  weak  and  succulent,  their  leaves  of  a  pale 
yellow.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  the  formation  of  this 
chlorophylle — as  the  green  coloring  matter  of  leaves  is 
called — results  from  some  action  determined  by  the  Sun's 
rays. 

"  Chlorophylle  is  a  carbonaceous  compound,  formed  in  the 
leaves,  serving,  it  would  appear,  many  purposes  in  the 
process  of  assimilation.  This  principle  is  effected  in  nature 
by  the  agency  of  light,  the  luminous  principle,  as  distin- 
guished from  radiant  heat,  actinism,  or  electricity.  That 
power  which  is  most  active  in  the  development  of  the 
germ  will  not  produce  the  excitement  necessary  for  the 
decomposition  of  carbonic  acid  and  the  secretion  of  carbon; 
and  under  the  influence  of  radiations  which  have 
permeated  blue  media,  the  plant  grows  in  a  succulent 
^^tate,  the  formation  of  wood  being  exceedingly  small. 
Of  course,  each  of  the  elementary  forces  plajs  an  impor- 
tant part  in  the  progress  of  growth  :  every  power  of  the 
solar  beam  is  necessary  :  the  light  to  excite  the  plant  to 
decompose  carbonic  acid,  and  heat  and  actinism  to  produce 
the  formation  of  many  of  the  peculiar  juices  natural  to 
the  various  species.  Plants  always  turn  towards  the  light : 
the  guiding  power  we  know  not,  but  the  evidence  of  some 
impulsive  or  attracting  force  is  strong ;  and  the  purpose 
for  which  they  are  constituted  to  obey  it  is  proved  to 
be  the  dependence  of  vegetable  existence  upon  luminous 
power. 

"Light  is  not,  however,  alone  sufficient  to  perfect  the 
plant :  another  agent  is  required  to  aid  in  the  production 

34 


554  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  flowers  and  fruits,  and  this  power  is  proved  to  be  heat 
in  some  peculiar  condition.  Neither  under  the  influence 
of  the  actinic  or  the  luminous  rays,  as  isolated  by  colored 
media,  will  the  plant  produce  flowers ;  but  having  reached 
that  point  of  development  when  the  reproductive  func- 
tions are,  by  another  change  in  the  chemical  operations 
going  on  within  the  vegetable  structure,  to  be  called  forth, 
it  has  been  found  that  the  heat-rays,  as  completely  sepa- 
rated as  it  is  possible  for  them  to  be  by  red  media,  be- 
come in  a  remarkable  manner  effective.  It  has  also  been 
observed  that  plants  bend  from  the  red,  or  calorific  rays, 
instead  of  towards  them,  as  they  are  found  to  do  to  every 
other  ray  of  the  spectrum.  From  this  we  may  argue 
that  the  influence  of  these  rays  is  to  check  the  vegeta- 
tive process,  and  thus  to  insure  the  perfection  of  the 
reproductive  organs. 

"Observations,  which  have  been  extended  over  many 
years,  prove  that,  with  the  seasons,  these  solar  powers  are, 
relatively  to  each  other,  subject  to  an  interesting  change. 
In  the  spring,  the  actinic  power  prevails,  and  during  this 
period  its  agency  is  required  for  the  development  of  the 
germ.  As  the  summer  comes  on,  the  acti^iic  rays  dimin- 
ish, and  those  of  light  increase.  We  see  the  necessity 
for  this,  since  luminous  power  is  required  for  the  secretion 
of  the  carbon,  with  which  the  woody  fibre  is  formed,  and 
also  for  the  elaboration  of  the  proximate  principles  of 
the  plant.  Autumn,  the  season  of  fruit,  is  characterized 
by  an  increase  of  heat-rays,  and  a  diminution  of  the 
others:  this  change  being  necessary,  as  science  now 
teaches  us,  for  the  due  production  of  flower  and  fruit. 

"  The  calorific  rays  of  the  solar  beam,  to  which  the 
autumnal  phenomena  of  vegetation  appear  particularly 
to  belong,  are  of  a  peculiar  character;  they  exhibit  a 
curious  compound   nature,  and  to  distinguish  them  from 


CHEMICAL  POWER.  555 

the  purely  calorific  principle,  they  have  been  called  the 
Parathermic  rays.  To  these  rays  we  may  refer  the 
ripening  of  fruit  and  grain,  and  the  browning  of  the  leaf 
before  its  fall."* 

Such  is  the  marvellous  chemistry,  varying  with  the 
progress  of  the  year,  which  is  carried  on  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  solar  rays  over  the  whole  surface  of  the 
globe.  And  what  an  instance  and  illustration  have  we  in 
it  of  the  all-comprehending  Intelligence  that  established 
this  complete  and  efficient  system  of  relations,  affinities, 
and  mutual  influences,  upon  which  depend  the  growth 
and  fruitfulness,  and  even  the  very  existence,  of  all  the 
vegetable  productions  of  our  world !  If  the  one  thing 
which  places  the  Human  Being  at  the  head  of  this  earthly 
creation  be  his  intelligence ;  and  if  only  after  the  most 
laborious  investigations  and  patient  study  intelligent 
man  has  been  able  to  arrive  at  an  imperfect  understand- 
ing of  these  admirable  chemical  processes; — can  any 
sane  and  candid  person  for  one  moment  suppose,  as  the 
materialist  would  have  us  believe,  that  all  this  has  re- 
sulted from  mere  blind — forces,  forces  possessing  no  trace 
of  intelligence,  no  power  of  thinking,  no  faculty  of  com- 
bination, no  idea  of  time  or  space  ?  If  the  knowledge 
man  has  attained  of  the  nature  and  operations  of  these 
agencies — Light,  Heat,  and  Actinism — be  reckoned,  as  it 
is,  among  the  highest  triumphs  of  his  intellect,  how  can  it 
consistently  or  possibly  be  denied  that  Ixtellect,  that 
Supreme  Intelligence  has  been  concerned  in  producing 
and  combining  them  into  this  harmonious  system  of 
beautiful  and  beneficent  operations? 

"  These,  as  they  change,  Almighty  Father,  these 
Arc  but  the  varied  GoD.     The  rolling  year 
Is  full  of  Thee.     Forth  in  the  pleasing  Spring 
Thy  beauty  \yalks,  Thy  tenderness  and  love. 


'Poetry  of  Science,  Chapter  XIV. 


656  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Wide  flush  the  fields;  the  softening  air  is  balm; 

Echo  the  mountains  round  :  the  forest  smiles ; 

And  every  sense,  and  every  heart  is  joy. 

Then  comes  Thy  glory  in  the  Summer  months, 

With  light  and  heat  refulgent.     Then  thy  Sun 

Shoots  full  perfection  through  the  swelling  year. 

Thy  bounty  shines  in  Autumn  unconfin'd, 

And  spreads  a  common  feast  for  all  that  lives. 

And  in  Winter  awful  Thou ! — 

Mysterious  round !  what  skill,  what  force  divine, 

Deep  felt,  in  these  appear!  a  simple  train, 

Yet  so  delightful  mix'd,  with  such  kind  art, 

Such  beauty  and  beneficence  combin'd ; 

Shade,  unperceived,  so  softening  into  shade; 

And  all  so  forming  an  harmonious  whole; 

That,  as  they  still  succeed,  they  ravish  still. 

Soft  roll  your  incense,  herbs,  and  fruits,  and  flowers. 

In  mingled  clouds  to  Him;  whose  Sun  exalts. 

Whose  breath  perfumes  you,  and  whose  pencil  paints. 

Great  source  of  day  !  best  image  here  below 

Of  thy  Creator,  ever  pouring  wide, 

From  world  to  world,  the  vital  ocean  round. 

On  Nature  write  with  every  beam  His  praise." — Thomson. 

Teachings. 

As  the  chemical  action  of  the  Sun  varies  with  the  pro- 
gress of  the  seasons,  to  meet  the  varying  requirements  of 
vegetation,  from  its  germination  to  its  maturity  : — so  the 
gracious  influences  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  vary  accord- 
ing to  the  icants  and  circumstances  of  his  followers,  from 
the  day  of  their  spiritual  birth  to  that  of  their  full  fruition 
in  the  kingdom  of  glory. 

The  Great  Teacher  compares  the  growth  of  religion  in 
the  heart  to  the  growth  of  a  plant  in  the  ground.  "  So 
is  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast  seed  into 
the  ground,  and  the  seed  should  spring  and  grow  up — 
first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in 
the  ear."  In  this  parable,  it  will  be  observed,  the  life  of 
the  plant  is  divided  into  three  stages — that  of  the  blade, 
of  the  ear,  and  of  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  And  these 
correspond  in  a  remarkable  manner  to  the  three  season 
changes,  which  science  has  shown  to  take  place  in  the 


CHEMICAL    POWER.  557 

action  of  the  solar  rays,  by  which  the  plant  is  carried  on 
from  its  germination  to  its  full  maturity. 

"And  the  seed  should  spring  and  grow  up."  The  first 
impulse  toward  germination  in  the  seed  is  given  by  the  solar 
rays.  Though  the  seed  may  have  been  cast  into  good  soil, 
been  properly  covered,  and  have  had  all  necessary  mois^- 
ture,  yet  without  the  genial  influence  of  the  Sun  it  will 
never  germinate.  So  the  word  of  God  may  be  lodged  in 
the  mind  or  heart,  and  be  favored  with  all  needful  ad- 
vantages, yet  without  the  gracious  influence  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness  it  will  never  quicken  into  spiritual  vi- 
tality. He  imparts  the  first  impulse  towards  newness 
of  life.  "  You  hath  He  quickened,  who  were  dead  in 
sm. 

"  First  the  blade."  In  the  spring,  when  the  blade  is 
produced,  the  solar  rays,  predominantly  active,  are  the 
actinic  or  chemical ;  and  these  are  the  rays  which  impart 
the  precise  stimulus  which  the  plant  requires  at  this  in- 
cipient stage  of  its  existence ;  as  by  their  action  water  is 
decomposed  into  its  gases  and  the  starch  of  the  seed  is 
changed  into  sugar  to  nourish  the  developing  embryo, 
thus  enabling  it  to  send  upward  its  cotyledons  in  greenish 
leaves  above  the  surface  to  breathe  the  air  that  is  to  set 
in  activity  all  its  future  circulating  processes.  So  with 
the  seed  of  divine  truth  in  the  heart;  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness sheds  down  those  gracious  influences  which  are 
most  suitable  to  the  sinner's  condition — brings  to  bear 
upon  his  mind  the  spiritual  stimulus  which  his  helpless 
state  requires — introduces  thoughts  and  feelings  he  never 
knew  before ;  directs  his  mind  to  God  and  eternity,  to 
his  own  present  situation  and  future  destiny.  Little  by 
little  he  enables  him  to  lift  his  head,  so  to  speak,  above 
ground,  and  gradually  opens  his  eyes  to  see  the  light — to 
see  his  own  sinfulness  and   peril,  and  then  to  see  Christ 


668  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  his  salvation.  Presently  his  heart  is  drawn  toward 
that  precious  Saviour,  by  a  view  of  his  glory,  and  of  his 
love  to  poor  sinners.  And  soon  he  begins  to  breathe 
towards  him  his  desires  in  praj'er;  and  in  answer  to 
these  other  and  stronger  impulses  are  given,  which  move 
and  determine  him  to  embrace  Christ  with  all  his  heart. 
And  thus  all  the  processes  of  spiritual  life  are  set  in 
full  activity.  With  all  earnestness  he  now  begins  to 
resist  sin,  to  engage  in  duty,  to  strive  after  holiness, 
and  to  honor  God  in  his  body  and  in  his  spirit,  which 
are  his. 

"Then  the  ear" — the  original  means  also  the  stalh 
with  its  spreading  leaves.  The  growth  of  this  is  summer 
work;  and  as  that  season  comes  on,  the  light  rays  rela- 
tively increase,  and  become  predominant  in  their  action. 
And  this  is  exactly  the  power  necessary  to  enable  the 
leaves  to  secrete  from  the  atmosphere  the  carbon  with 
which  the  woody  fibre  of  the  plant  is  formed,  and  also 
for  the  elaboration  of  the  chlorophylle  which  gives  to  it 
its  beautiful  green  color,  and  serves  many  other  purposes 
in  the  process  of  assimilation.  Thus  under  the  increasing 
luminous  action  of  the  Sun,  the  structural  formation  of 
the  plant  finds  the  precise  stimulus  it  requires  in  this 
second  stage  of  its  growth.  So  with  the  Christian  in  his 
second  stage.  The  dispensations  of  grace  toward  him 
vary,  in  like  manner,  according  to  his  day.  The  light  of 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness  gathers  strength  upon  his  soul, 
upon  his  path,  and  upon  his  experience.  In  his  first 
stage,  his  emotions  and  afiections  were  specially  wrought 
upon;  in  his  second,  these  generally  lose  something  of 
their  keenness  and  intensity,  but  in  the  meantime  his 
mind  acquires  increasing  light.  He  gains  a  more  correct 
understanding  of  the  precepts  and  promises  of  scripture, 
more  exalted  and  worthy  views  of  the  plan  of  salvation. 


CHEMICAL  POWER.  561 

He  comes  to  know  more  of  God  and  himself.  And  the 
providence,  that  brings  rains  and  storms  as  well  as  sun- 
shine upon  the  plant,  appoints  for  him  also  difficulties, 
and  trials,  not  simply  for  the  exercise  of  his  graces,  but 
to  throw  clearer  light  upon  his  own  nature  and  real 
character — to  reveal  to  him  his  remaining  unbelief,  pride, 
self-dependence,  weakness,  and  inconstancy ;  to  show  him 
how  little  he  can  do  for  himself,  and  what  great  things 
God  is  able  and  willing  to  do  for  him.  By  a  variety  of 
such  trials — by  successes  and  disappointments,  afflictions 
and  deliverances,  through  the  edifying  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  he  steadily  acquires  more  light  on  the  pur- 
poses of  God,  on  the  wisdom  of  his  dispensations,  and  on 
the  rich,  sovereign,  and  abounding  mercy  of  his  covenant 
of  grace.  Thus,  like  the  plant,  under  increasing  light, 
the  structure  of  his  character  attains  strength,  symmetry, 
and  stability,  and  his  profession  the  sweet  verdancy 
which  the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  alone  can 
impart. 

"After  that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear."  As  autumn 
approaches,  the  heat  rays  of  the  Sun,  as  we  have  seen, 
increase  in  their  power.  Of  course  each  of  the  other 
forces  plays  an  important  part  throughout  the  process  of 
growth ;  every  power  of  the  solar  beam  is  necessary  all 
along;  but  now  the  warm  rays  gain  the  ascendency  in  their 
action.  And  this  is  in  accordance  with  the  requirements 
of  the  plant  in  its  last  stage.  The  influences  which  these 
supply  are  just  what  is  necessary  to  fill  up  the  ear — to 
give  weight  and  solidity  to  each  grain,  and  to  perfect  and 
ripen  the  whole  for  the  waiting  garner  of  the  husband- 
man. And  such  are  the  gifts  of  grace  which  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  dispenses  to  the  Christian  in  his  last  and 
closing  stage.  The  warm  beams  which  now  descend 
upon  him  are  ripening  beams.     His  faith  is  strengthened. 


562  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

settled,  established ;  his  love  to  God  is  purified  and  ele- 
vated ;  and  his  charity  toward  man  is  expanded  to  em- 
brace friend  and  foe.  His  mind  is  disposed  more  and 
more  to  holy  contemplation.  Having  had  his  views  of 
the  gospel,  and  of  the  Lord's  faithfulness  and  mercy, 
confirmed  by  long  experience,  he  rests  in  calm  assurance, 
and  in  the  comfort  of  a  happy  hope.  He  delights  to 
meditate  on  the  mystery  of  redeeming  love ;  on  the 
glorious  excellency  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  his  person, 
offices,  grace  and  faithfulness;  on  the  harmony  and 
glory  of  the  divine  perfections ;  on  the  stability,  fulness, 
grandeur  and  certainty  of  the  divine  promises ;  and  on 
the  heights,  and  depths,  and  lengths,  and  breadths  of  the 
love  of  God  in  Christ.  And  beholding  thus  his  glory,  ho 
is  changed  into  the  same  image,  as  from  glory  to  glorj-. 
And  now  he  has  nothing  which  he  cannot  commit  into 
his  heavenly  Father's  hands,  or  which  he  is  not  habitu- 
ally aiming  to  resign  to  his  disposal.  He  sees  that  the 
time  is  short,  lives  upon  the  foretastes  of  glory,  and 
therefore  accounts  not  his  life  dear  to  him  so  that  he 
may  finish  his  course  with  joy.  He  has  even  a  desire  to 
depart  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.  He 
stands  as  a  shock  of  corn,  fully  ripe  and  ready  for  the 
garner  of  God. 


PART    FIFTH. 


THE  SUN  AS  A  MAGNETIC  CENTRE 


ANALOGY. 


As  the  fjlohe  of  the  earth  is  ever  in  magnetic  sympathy  with  that  of  the  Stm, 
— .so  the  church,  or  hoily  of  believers,  is  ever  in  loving  sympathy  with 
Christ  the  Sun  of  Itighteousness. 

Phenomena. 

ROM  very  remote  times,  masses  or  lumps 
of  a  certain  kind  of  iron  ore  were  observed 
to  possess  the  peculiar  power  of  attracting 
other  kinds  of  iron.  This  ore  was  found 
at  an  early  date  in  the  district  of  Magnesia, 
in  Asia  Minor;  and  from  the  name  of  that 
locality  have  been  derived  the  terms  mag- 
net and  magnetism.  Both  Lucretius  and 
Pliny  employ  the  word  magnes  to  designate  this  singular 
power.  We  have  also  written  evidence  that  it  was 
known  to  both  the  Arabians  and  Chinese  some  time 
before  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era.  In 
Europe  we  find  no  mention  of  it  made  until  the  eleventh 
century.  In  the  twelfth,  it  appears  to  have  been  turned 
to  a  practical  purpose  in  the  shape  of  some  kind  of  mari- 
ner's compass.     And  in  1427,  Vasco  de  Gama  is  said  to 

(563) 


564 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


have  employed  such  a  compass,  in  an  improved  form,  to 
pursue  his  adventurous  exploration  of  the  Indian  Seas. 
From  thenceforward  this  instrument  became  well  known, 
and  ere  long,  was  in  very  general  use. 

This  iron  ore,  sometimes  called  lodestone,  or  leading 
stone,  is  a  brown  mass,  and  in  its  general  appearance  dif- 
fers little  or  nothing  from  other  rude  masses  that  may  lie 
around  it;  but  on  trial,  it  is  found,  as  just  stated,  to  pos- 
sess the  power  of  drawing  light  particles  of  iron  towards  it. 
If  this  stone,  or  an  artificial  magnet  produced  by  means  of 
it,  be  placed  upon  a  smooth  surface,  such  as  a  pane  of  glass, 


INFLUENCE  OF  A  MAGNET  ON  IKON  FILINGS. 


and  iron  filings  are  thrown  lightly  around  it,  these  filings 
will  arrange  themselves  in  regular  and  beautiful  curves, 
proceeding  from  some  one  point  of  the  mass  to  some  other ; 
and  upon  examination,  we  shall  find  that  the  iron  which 
has  once  clung  to  the  one  point  will  be  rejected  by  the 
other.  The  annexed  figure  wdll  serve  to  illustrate  this 
experiment. 

Again  :  If  this  stone  be  freely  suspended  by  a  string, 
we  shall  discover  that  it  always  comes  to  rest  in  a  certain 
position, — this  position  being  determined  by  these  points, 
and  some  attractive   force   residincr  in   the  earth    itself. 


MAGNEfiC  CENTRE.  565 

These  points  are  called  its  poles  ;  and  it  is  now  established 
that  this  rude  stone  is  a  small  representative  of  the  globe 
upon  which  we  live.  Both  the  globe  and  the  lump  of  ore 
are  masinetic ;  and  both  are  so  in  virtue  of  the  circulation 
of  currents  or  lines  of  magnetic  force,  as  seen  in  the  curves 
formed  by  the  iron  filings.  This  power  exists  permanently 
in  the  magnetic  iron  stones,  and  also  in  the  earth ;  and 
the  north  pole  of  the  one  attracts  the  south  pole  of  the 
other,  and  the  contrary. 

Magnetism  may  be  induced  in  any  bar  of  steel  by 
rubbing  it  with  a  lodestone,  and  in  other  ways.  This 
principle  is  not  transferred  but  developed  by  the  lodestone. 
By  one  magnet  we  may  induce  magnetism  in  any  number 
of  iron  bars  without  losing  any  of  its  original  force.  And 
we  may  break  the  magnetised  bar  in  two,  and  each  of  the 
parts  will  be  found  a  perfect  magnet  still,  having  its  own 
proper  north  and  south  pole,  like  the  original  bar.  And 
each  of  these  parts  may  be  broken  again  with  the  same 
result ;  and  so  on  without  limit.  There  is,  therefore,  no 
transfer  of  magnetism  :  it  is  simply  excited  ;  both  polar- 
ities exist  at  every  point,  and  belong  to  every  atom. 

The  nature  of  this  mysterious  agency  is  not  understood. 
Some  regard  it  as  one  of  those  modes  of  molecular  motion^ 
which  are  so  difficult  of  investigation,  and  which  we 
cannot  here  attempt  to  describe.  Others  hold  it  to  be  of 
the  nature  of  electricity ;  and  certain  it  is  that  there  is  an 
intimate  connection  between  magnetism  and  electricity, 
so  intimate  that  the  former  may  for  many  reasons  be 
considered  as  only  a  particular  form  in  which  the  latter  is 
developed.  Magnetism,  however,  difiers  from  electricity, 
as  also  from  light  and  heat,  in  that  it  produces  no  direct 
effect  on  any  of  our  senses.  We  know  its  effects  only  by 
the  motion  which  we  see  it  give  to  certain  kinds  of  matter, 
such  as  steel  or  iron. 


5G6  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Magnetism,  whatever  its  nature  may  be,  is  a  universal 
force  in  the  system  of  creation.  "  There  is  no  substance," 
says  Professor  Hunt,  "  to  be  found  in  nature  existing  in- 
dependently of  magnetic  power.  But  it  influences  bodies 
in  different  ways ;  some  it  attracts,  and  others  it  repels ; 
in  other  words,  one  set  acting  with  relation  to  magnetism, 
like  iron,  and  arranging  themselves  along  the  line  of 
magnetic  force, — these  are  called  magnetic  bodies;  another 
set,  of  which  bismuth  may  be  taken  as  the  representative, 
always  placing  themselves  at  right  angles  to  this  line — 
these  are  called  dia-magnetic  bodies.  Every  substance  in 
nature  is  in  one  or  other  of  these  conditions.  The  rocks, 
forming  the  crust  of  the  earth,  and  the  minerals  which 
are  discovered  in  them;  the  surface  soil,  which  is  by 
nature  prepared  as  the  fitting  habitation  of  the  vegetable 
world,  and  every  tree,  shrub,  and  herb  which  finds  root 
therein,  with  their  carbonaceous  matter,  in  all  Its  states  of 
wood,  leaf,  flower,  and  fruit;  the  animal  kingdom,  from 
the  lowest  monad  through  the  entire  series  up  to  man, 
have,  all  of  them,  distinct  magnetic  or  dIa-magnetic  re- 
lations. Every  particle  of  any  substance  found  in  this 
earth  is  endued  wath  the  property  of  disposing  itself 
according  to  one  or  the  other  of  these  powers.  It  is 
become  almost  a  certainty  to  us,  that  this  stone  of  granite, 
with  its  curious  arrangement  of  felspar,  mica,  and  quartz, 
presents  its  peculiar  condition  in  virtue  of  some  such  laws 
as  that  of  dia-magnetism.  The  crystal,  too,  of  quartz, 
which  VfQ  break  out  of  the  mass,  and  which  presents  to 
us  a  beautifully  regular  figure,  is,  beyond  a  doubt,  so 
formed,  because  the  atoms  of  silica  are  each  one  impelled 
in  obedience  to  one  of  these  two  forms  of  magnetism  to 
set  themselves  in  a  certain  order  to  each  other,  which 
cannot  be  altered  by  human  force  without  destruction. 
That   magnetism    has  such    a  directive    power    in    the 


MAGNETIC  CENTRE.  567 

formation  of  crystals  has  been  proved  by  experi- 
ment."* 

The  same  profound  student  of  nature  observes  that  it 
is  probable  many  of  the  structural  conditions  of  our  planet 
are  due  to  some  polar  action — such  as  the  direction  of 
mountain  ranges,  the  cleavage  planes  of  rocks,  and  the 
deposit  of  metalliferous  ores.  "  On  examining  any 
mineral  vein,"  says  he,  "  it  will  be  at  once  apparent  that 
every  particle  of  ore,  and  every  crystal  of  quartz  or 
limestone,  is  disposed  in  a  direction  w^hich  indicates  the 
exercise  of  some  powerful  directive  agency." 

And  magnetic  phenomena  are  not  limited  to  mineral 
and  metallic  substances,  but  extend  to  all  material  bodies, 
organic  as  well  as  inorganic.  The  leaf,  the  flower,  and 
the  fruit  of  a  tree  ;  the  flesh  and  bones  and  blood  of  an 
animal,  possess  the  power  of  repelling  a  suspended  mag- 
net, and  of  placing  it  at  right  angles  to  the  direction  of 
the  force  excited  by  them.  Even  the  gases  and  vapors 
which  compose  our  atmosphere  are  found  to  hold  magnetic 
or  dia-magnetic  relations  to  one  another.  Such  is  the  all- 
pervading  character  of  magnetism, — 

"  That  power  which,  like  a  potent  spirit,  guides 
The  sea-wide  wanderers  over  distant  tides, 
Inspiring  confidence  wliere'er  they  roam, 
By  indicating  still  the  pathway  home  ; — 
Through  nature,  quickened  by  the  solar  beam, 
Invests  each  atom  with  a  force  supreme, 
Directs  the  caverned  crystal  in  its  birth. 
And  frames  tlie  mightiest  mountains  of  the  earth; 
Each  leaf  and  flower  by  its  strong  law  restrains. 
And  man,  the  monarch,  binds  in  iron  chains." 

The  earth  upon  which  we  dwell,  then,  is  a  great  magnet 
afloat  in  the  voids  of  space.  And  the  point  we  are 
specially  concerned  to  prove  in  the  present  analogy  is, 
that  this  globe  is  in  perpetual  magnetic  sympathy  with 

*  See  Poetry  of  Science,  Chap.  X. 


568  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

that  vastly  greater  magnet,  the  globe  of  the  Sun.  This 
is  the  conclusion  to  which  the  profoundest  students  of  this 
subject  have  been  brought.  "It  is  most  natural,"  says 
Hansteen,  "  to  seek  the  origin  of  magnetic  phenomena  in 
the  Sun,  the  source  of  all  living  activity."  And  Sir 
David  Brewster,  speaking  to  this  point,  makes  this  state- 
ment :  "  All  our  terrestrial  magnetic  phenomena  have  a 
direct  reference  to  the  Sun  ;  but  whether  that  orb  acts 
by  its  heat,  or  by  its  light,  or  by  specific  rays,  or  influences 
of  a  magnetic  nature,  must  be  left  to  future  inquiry." 
The  same  view,  substantially,  is  set  forth  by  Professor 
Hunt :  "  When  we  consider  the  phenomena  of  terrestrial 
magnetism  carefully,  it  appears  to  indicate  the  action  of  a 
power  external  to  the  earth  itself,  and  having  its  origin 
in  the  action  of  the  Sun,  heating,  illuminating,  and 
producing  a  magnetic  tension." 

In  support  of  this  conclusion,  many  facts  may  be  ad- 
duced. Morichini  and  others  state  that  bars  of  steel 
exposed  to  the  violet  rays  of  the  Sun  are  rendered  mag- 
netic. 

The  diurnal  and  annual  oscillations  of  the  compass 
needle  are  regarded  as  very  decisive  indications  of  the 
magnetic  influence  of  the  Sun  upon  our  globe.  The 
needle  exhibits  each  day  two  small  oscillations  from  its 
mean  position,  namely,  one  towards  the  east  and  the 
other  towards  the  w'est,  according  to  the  position  of  the 
Sun.  These  vibrations,  when  rightly  understood,  clearly 
indicate  a  sort  of  effort  on  the  part  of  the  needle  to  turn 
toward  the  Sun.  Add  to  this,  that  this  vibration  is 
increased  in  summer  and  diminished  in  winter,  as  the 
Sun  approaches  or  recedes. 

Again :  the  energy,  or  degree  of  force,  with  which  the 
needle  seeks  its  position  of  rest,  varies  with  the  varying 
distance  of  the  earth  from  the  Sun  in  its  annual  circuit. 


MAGNETIC    CENTRE.  5G9 

About  the  end  of  December,  when  the  earth  is  at  its 
nearest  distance  from  the  Sun,  this  energy  iB  greatest ; 
and  about  the  end  of  June,  when  it  is  at  its  greatest 
distance,  the  energy  is  least — the  magnetic  force,  like 
that  of  gravitation,  light  and  heat,  varying  inversely  as 
the  square  of  the  distance. 

Again :  the  needle  has  been  found  to  oscillate  through 
a  longer  cycle  of  changes,  one  occupying  in  its  completion 
a  little  more  than  eleven  years :  that  is  to  say,  between 
the  time  when  the  oscillation  is  least  and  that  when  it  is 
greatest  there  elapses  a  period  of  five  and  a  half  years, 
and  an  equal  period  before  it  returns  again  to  its  first 
value.  Now,  a  cycle  of  changes  takes  place  on  the  face 
of  the  Sun  agreeing  most  perfectly  with  this,  not  merely 
in  length,  but  in  maximum  for  maximum,  and  minimum 
for  minimum.  To  make  this  clear,  the  nature  of  the 
facts  involved  must  be  stated,  and  this  can  be  done  in  no 
better  words  than  those  of  Sir  John  Herschel:  "One  of 
the  first  achievements  of  the  telescope  was  the  discovery 
of  black  spots  on  the  surface  of  the  Sun.  These  spots 
are  not  permanent,  but  come  and  go;  and  their  number 
varies  greatly.  Sometimes  his  face  is  quite  spotless;  at 
others,  the  spots  swarm  upon  it.  And  as  to  their  actual 
size,  some  are  comparatively  small,  others  of  stupendous 
extent.  One  spot  which  I  measured,  in  1837,  occupied 
no  less  than  3,780,000,000  square  miles ;  another,  which 
was  nearly  round,  would  have  allowed  the  earth  to  drop 
through  it,  leaving  a  thousand  miles  clear  of  contact  on 
every  side ;  and  many  instances  of  much  larger  spots 
than  these  are  on  record.  What  are  we  to  think,  then, 
of  the  awful  scale  of  hurricane  and  turmoil  and  fiery 
tempest  which  can  in  a  few  days  totally  change  the  form 
of  such  a  region,  break  it  up  into  distinct  parts — open  up 
great  abysses  in  one  part,  such  as  I  have  just  described, 
and  fill  up  others  beside  them  ! 


570  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

"  Now  it  has  lately  been  ascertained  by  a  careful  com- 
parison of  all  the  recorded  observations  of  the  spots,  that 
the  periods  of  their  scarcity  and  abundance  succeed  one 
another  at  regular  intervals  of  a  trifle  more  than  five 
years  and  a-half :  so  that  in  eleven  years  and  one- tenth, 
or  nine  times  in  a  century,  the  Sun  passes  through  all 
its  states  of  jDurity  and  spottiness.  Thus  for  instance,  in 
the  present  century,  the  years  1800,  1811,  1822,  1833, 
1844, 1855-6  were  years  in  which  the  Sun  exhibited  few 
or  no  spots;  while  in  the  years  1805,  1816,  1827,  1838, 
1849,  1860,  the  spots  have  been  remarkably  abundant 
and  large.  Now  there  are  two  classes  of  phenomena  or 
facts  which  occur  here  on  earth  which  stand  in  very 
singular  accordance  with  the  appearance  and  disappear- 
ance of  the  Sun's  spots.  The  first  is  that  splendid  and 
beautiful  appearance  in  the  sky  which  we  call  the  Aurora 
or  Northern  Lights ;  and  which,  by  comparison  of  the 
recorded  displays,  have  been  ascertained  to  be  much 
more  frequent  in  the  years  when  the  spots  are  abundant, 
and  extremely  rare  in  those  years  when  the  Sun  is  free 
from  spots.  The  other  is  a  class  of  facts  not  so  obvious 
to  common  observation,  but  of  very  great  importance  to 
us;  because  it  is  connected  with  the  history  and  theory 
of  the  mariner's  compass,  and  with  the  magnetism  of  the 
earth,  which  we  all  know  to  be  the  cause  of  the  compass 
needle  pointing  to  the  north.  But  besides  this  (the 
oscillations  already  described),  the  needle  is  subject  to 
irregular,  sudden,  and  capricious  variations — jerking,  as 
it  were,  aside,  and  oscillating  backwards  and  forwards 
without  any  visible  cause  of  disturbance.  And,  what  is 
still  more  strange ;  these  disturbances  and  jerks  some- 
times go  on  for  many  hours  and  even  days,  and  often  at 
the  same  instant  of  time,  over  very  large  regions  of  the 
globe;  and  in  some  remarkable  instances,  over  the  whole 


MAGNETIC  CENTRE. 


571 


earth — the  same  jerks  and  jumps  occurring  at  the  same 
moments  of  time  (allowance  made  for  the  difference  of 
longitude).  These  occurrences  are  called  Magnetic  Storms, 
and  they  invariably  accompany  great  displays  of  the  Au- 
rora ;  and  are  very  much  more  frequent  when  the  Sun  is 


AURORA 


most  spotted,  and  rarely  or  never  witnessed  in  the  years 
of  few  spots. 

"The  last  four  years  (1858-1861)  have  been  remarkable 
for  spots ;  and  there  occurred  on  the  1st  of  September, 
1859,  an  appearance  on  the  Sun  which  may  be  considered 
an  epoch,  if  not  in   the  Sun's   history,  at  least  in   our 

35 


572  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

knowledge  of  It.  On  that  day  great  spots  were  exhibited; 
and  two  observers,  far  apart  and  unknown  to  each  other, 
were  viewing  them  with  powerful  telescopes;  when  sud- 
denly, at  the  same  moment  of  time,  both  saw  a  strikingly 
brilliant  luminous  appearance,  like  a  cloud  of  light  far 
brighter  than  the  general  surface  of  the  Sun,  break  out 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  one  of  the  spots,  and 
sweep  across  and  beside  it.  It  occupied  about  five  minutes 
in  its  passage,  and  in  that  time  travelled  over  a  space  on 
the  Sun's  surface  which  could  not  be  estimated  at  less 
than  35,000  miles. 

"A  magnetic  storm  was  in  progress  at  the  time.  From 
the  28th  of  August,  to  the  4th  of  September,  many 
indications  showed  the  earth  to  have  been  in  a  perfect 
convulsion  of  electro-magnetism.  When  one  of  the  ob- 
servers I  have  mentioned  had  registered  his  observation, 
he  bethought  himself  of  sending  to  Kew,  where  there  are 
self-registering  magnetic  instruments  always  at  work, 
recording  by  photography  at  every  instant  of  the  twenty- 
four  hours  the  positions  of  three  magnetic  needles  differ- 
ently arranged.  On  examining  the  record  for  that  day, 
it  was  found  that  at  that  very  moment  of  time  (as  if  the 
influence  had  arrived  with  the  light)  all  three  had  made 
a  strongly  marked  jerk  from  their  former  positions.  By 
degrees,  accounts  began  to  pour  in  of  great  Auroras  seen 
on  the  nights  of  those  days ;  not  only  in  these  latitudes, 
but  at  Rome ;  in  the  West  Indies,  on  the  tropics  within 
18°  of  the  equator  (where  they  hardly  ever  appear) ;  nay, 
what  is  still  more  striking,  in  South  America,  and  in 
Australia;  w'here,  at  Melbourne,  on  the  night  of  the 
2d  of  September,  the  greatest  Aurora  ever  seen  there 
made  its  appearance.  These  Auroras  were  accompanied 
with  unusually  great  electro-magnetic  disturbances  in 
every  part  of  the  world.     In  many  places  the  telegraphic 


MAGNETIC  CENTRE.  573 

wires  struck  work.  They  had  too  many  private  mes- 
sages of  their  own  to  convey.  At  Washington  and 
Philadelphia,  in  America,  the  telegraph  signal-men  re- 
ceived severe  electric  shocks.  At  a  station  in  Norway 
the  telegraphic  apparatus  was  set  on  fire ;  and  at  Boston, 
in  North  America,  a  flame  of  fire  followed  the  pen  of 
Bain's  electric  telegraph,  which,  as  all  know,  writes  down 
the  message  upon  chemically  prepared  papers."* 

Here,  then,  let  us  pause  and  recall  the  evidences  now 
given  that  the  globe  we  inhabit  is  in  perpetual  magnetic 
sympathy  with  that  of  the  Sun.  1.  We  have  seen  that 
certain  solar  rays  wdll  render  a  bar  of  steel  exposed  to 
them  magnetic.  2.  That  the  compass  needle  exhibits 
daily  oscillations  that  clearly  indicate  an  effort  to  turn 
towards  the  Sun  in  whatever  quarter  he  may  lie.  3. 
That  the  energy  with  which  the  needle  seeks  its  position 
of  rest  is,  like  that  of  the  other  great  forces  of  nature,  in- 
versely as  the  square  of  the  earth's  distance  from  the 
Sun.  4.  That  the  vibrations  of  the  needle  undergo  a  cycle 
of  variations,  running  through  a  period  of  eleven  years, 
which  corresponds  exactly  with  a  cycle  of  changes  upon 
the  solar  surface,  not  only  in  length  of  time,  but  also  in 
maximum  for  maximum  and  minimum  for  minimum.  5. 
That  the  Auroral  displays  in  our  heavens,  which  are  of 
magnetic  origin,  observe  a  similar  correspondence  in  prev- 
alence or  scarcity  with  the  prevalence  or  scarcity  of 
these  spots  on  the  Sun.  6.  That  extraordinary  perturba- 
tions in  the  gaseous  envelops  of  the  Sun  are  marked  to 
us  by  extraordinary  perturbations  in  the  magnetism  of 
the  earth,  amounting  to  what  have  been  rightly  named 
Magnetic  Storms.  All  these  long-observed  and  well-es- 
tablished facts  afford,  in  the  concurrent  judgment  of 
philosophers,  a  demonstration  that  there  exists  a  bond 

'  Faviiliar  Lectures  on  Scientific  Subjects,  No.  2. 


574  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

of  magnetic  sympathy  between  our  globe  and  that  of  the 
Sun;  and  that  no  changes  or  commotions  can  affect  the 
soLar  photosphere  without  affecting  the  earth  to  a  greater 
or  lesser  degree.  From  that  primary  and  central  orb, 
magnetic  impulses,  like  the  waves  of  light,  perpetually 
speed  in  their  outward  flight  to  lave,  and  influence,  and 
often  thrill  all  its  encircling  planets,  and  to  work  on  them 
and  through  them,  as  they  do  for  the  earth,  a  thousand 
diverse  results  essential  to  the  purposes  which  they  sub- 
serve in  the  great  empire  of  the  Creator  and  Lord  of  all. 
The  universal  existence  of  gravitation  and  light,  and 
the  uniform  laws  according  to  which  they  act,  clearly 
traceable  to  the  utmost  limit  of  observation  possible  to 
man,  are  justly  regarded  as  certain  evidences  of  the  unity 
and  one  origin  of  the  vast  creation.  And  in  this  mag- 
netic influence  of  the  Sun,  exerted  every  instant,  and 
flowing  outward  upon  all  its  dependent  planets  and  satel- 
lites, we  have  another  important  bond  of  union  between 
the  orbs  composing  the  mighty  universe,  and  another 
proof  that  they  are  the  product  of  one  almighty  and 
creative  Mind. 

Teachings. 

As  the  globe  of  the  earth  is  ever  in  magnetic  sympathy 
with  that  of  the  Sun, — so  the  chuj-cJt,  or  hoJ/j  of  helicvers, 
is  ever  in  Jovlnrj  sympailiy  icitli  Christ  tJie  /Siui  of  Right- 
eousness. 

The  earth,  as  a  globe,  is  susceptible  to  the  magnetic 
influence  of  the  Sun  in  virtue  of  the  fact  that  it  is  com- 
posed of  particles  of  matter  in  a  magnetic  state  (difiering 
according  to  their  physical  conditions)  ;  and  the  magnetic 
force  of  the  whole,  as  a  mass,  is  but  the  collective  action 
of  its  atoms.  So  the  church,  as  a  body,  is  alive  to  the 
gracious  impulses  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  because  it 
is  composed  of  individuals,  every  one  of  whom  is  imbued 


MAGNETIC  CENTRE.  575 

with  his  Spirit,  and  that  self-same  Spirit  actuates  all, 
governs  all.* 

The  Christian  as  an  individual,  and  the  church  mili- 
tant as  a  body,  are  in  perfect  sympathy  with  Christ  in 
all  things  that  pertain  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salva- 
tion of  men.  In  all  this,  every  emotion  and  affection 
that  swells  the  Saviour's  bosom  awakens  its  responsive 
emotion  and  affection  in  the  hearts  of  all  his  people. 

Is  Christ  pained  and  made  sad  in  view  of  the  impeni- 
tency  and  unbelief  of  men,  "  being  grieved  at  the  hard- 
ness of  their  hearty?"  So  grieve  his  true  disciples  in 
view  of  the  same  :  "Am  not  I  grieved,"  saith  the  man  of 
God,  "at  them  that  rise  up  against  thee?"  And  Paul, 
seeing  the  city  of  Athens  altogether  given  to  idolatry, 
felt  his  whole  "  spirit  stirred  within  him." 

Does  Christ  shed  tears  of  compassion  over  the  folly 
and  misery  of  sinful  men?  Did  he,  "when  he  beheld 
the  city,  weep  over  it  ? "  So  weep  his  true  followers 
also:  "Rivers  of  water,"  saith  the  Psalmist,  "flow  down 
mine  eyes  because  they  keep  not  thy  laws."  And  the 
apostle,  "  Many  walk,  of  whom  I  have  told  you  often, 
and  now  tell  you  even  weeping,  that  they  are  the  ene- 
mies of  the  cross  of  Christ." 

Does  Jesus  rejoice  at  the  conversion  and  return  of  the 
ungodly,  as  the  shepherd  on  finding  his  stray  sheep,  and 
as  the  father  on  receiving  his  repentant  prodigal  ?  So 
rejoice  they  that  are  his  :  "  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy, 
or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  at  his  coming?  For  ye  are  our* 
glory  and  joy."  "  I  have  no  greater  joy  than  to  hear 
that  my  children  walk  in  the  truth." 

*The  word  "  Church"  is  here  used  to  designate  the  body  of  true  believers,  or  the 
saint  of  God,  throughout  the  world,  and  not  any  particular  society,  or  deuomina- 
tion  of  societies,  where  the  wheat  and  tares  are  often  mixed  together. 


676  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Is  it  the  will  of  Christ  that  his  "Gospel  should  be 
preached  to  every  creature?"  In  this  likewise  his 
church  is  in  full  sympathy  with  him.  No  sooner  was 
this  command  issued  than  we  read  that  "  the  disciples 
were  scattered  abroad  and  went  everywhere  preaching 
the  word."  And  at  this  very  day,  behold  his  missionary 
servants  going  forth  to  every  continent  and  island,  sail- 
ing over  every  ocean,  and  threading  every  river  of  the 
globe,  on  the  same  embassy  of  love  and  mercy.  And  no 
tidings  fall  on  the  ears  of  those,  whose  duty  it  is  to  labor 
at  home,  that  inspire  greater  joy  than  those  of  the  pro- 
gress and  triumph  of  that  Gospel  in  the  world. 

When  the  solar  sphere  is  in  commotion  and  sends  forth 
its  waves  of  magnetic  influence,  our  whole  planet  is 
roused,  and  vibrates  in  responsive  currents  from  its 
northern  to  its  southern  pole.  So  when  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  moved  with  compassion,  and  sends  down 
in  gracious  effusions  the  influences  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  the 
church  is  quickened,  and  thrilled  through  her  whole 
membership  with  sacred  joy  and  gladness;  and,  as  in  the 
former  event,  the  Aurora  shoots  upward  its  luminous 
beams  to  adorn  the  firmament;  so,  in  the  latter,  his 
people's  thanksgiving  and  praise  ascend  as  clouds  of  in- 
cense before  the  eternal  Throne. 

He  who  is  a  stranger  to  this  sympathy  is  an  equal 
stranger  to  Christ ;  "for,  if  any  man  have  not  the  spirit 
of  Jesus,  he  is  none  of  his." 


PART  SIXTH. 

THE  SUN  AS  THE  CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION. 


ANALOGY  I. 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation  is  the  ruling  force  that  continues  the  revoluiiona 
and  ensures  the  safety  of  the  plunetari/  system  ; — so  the  love  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  is  the  efficient  power  that  perpetuates  the  activity  and  guar- 
anties the  safety  of  the  Church 

Phenomena. 

*HE  solar  system,  that  province  of  the  universe 
to  which  our  world  belongs,  may  be  re- 
garded as  a  lonely  cluster  of  glittering 
islands  on  the  bosom  of  the  boundless  ocean 
of  immensity.  A  lonely  cluster,  I  say,  for 
there  is  no  other  cluster,  no  other  system, 
no  other  star,  within  a  radius  of  20,000,- 
000,000,000  miles — a  distance  so  great 
that,  had  it  been  possible  far  one  of  our  swiftest  steamers 
to  sail  on  that  ocean,  and  had  set  out  on  the  day  of 
Adam's  creation  to  traverse  it,  and  had  continued  its  pro- 
gress without  intermission  from  that  day  to  this,  it  would 
not  have  yet  accomplished  the  o?ie-twenty-five-thousandth 
part  of  that  distance.  Our  sj'stem  is  surrounded  by  a 
solitude  that  is  practically  infinite  to  puny  man ! 

Of  this  system,  as  all  know,  the  Sun  is  the  centre. 
Around  him  revolve  more  than  two  hundred  planetary 
globes,  differing  in  size  from  fifty  miles  to  85,000  miles 
in  diameter  ;  moving  at  distances  varying  from  37,000,- 

(577) 


578  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

000  to  2,800,000,000  of  miles ;  flying  through  space  at 
rates  from  11,000  miles  to  105,000  miles  per  hour;  and 
accomplishing  their  circuits  in  periods  varying  from  three 
months  to  165  years.  To  a  few  of  the  larger  class  of 
these  planets  belong  a  number  of  satellites  or  moons,  each 
a  world  in  itself:  of  these,  the  Earth  has  one,  Mars  two, 
Jupiter  four,  Saturn  eight,  Uranus  four,  and  Neptune  one. 
These  satellites  follow  and  spin  around  their  respective 
planets  as  they  accomplish  their  mighty  circuits,  thus 
performing  a  two-fold  revolution,  one  around  the  planet 
as  their  primary  centre,  and  the  other  with  the  planet 
around  the  Sun,  the  common  centre  of  all.  Such,  in  brief, 
is  the  solar  system. 

Now,  numerous  as  are  the  globes  composing  this  system, 
complicated  as  are  their  movements,  and  fearful  as  are 
the  velocities  with  which  they  career  through  space,  yet 
perfect  order  and  entire  safety  prevail  throughout  the 
whole  ;  each  globe  retains  its  appointed  orbit,  and  ac- 
complishes its  vast  round  in  exactly  the  same  period  from 
age  to  age,  and  from  century  to  century.  And  how  is  this 
undeviating  regularity  maintained  ?  By  what  energy  are 
these  motions  perpetuated  and  controlled  ?  By  what 
power  is  the  safety  of  this  vast  celestial  machinery 
secured  ?  This  system — these  globes,  as  they  were 
launched  forth  from  the  hand  of  Omnipotence,  were  com- 
mitted, so  to  speak,  to  the  control  and  governance  of  the 
power  called  Gravitation;  and  this,  through  all  the  aeons 
of  the  past,  has  firmly  held  each  in  its  place,  brought 
forward  each  in  its  time,  and  preserved  all  in  harmony 
and  security,  as  they  are  seen  at  tliis  day. 

But  to  speak  more  definitely.  This  gravitation,  or  the 
power  which  matter  has  of  attracting  matter,  is  a  universal 
force.  It  belongs  to,  or  rather,  it  is  possessed  by  every 
particle  of  matter  in  the  universe,  whether  solid,  liquid, 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  579 

or  aeriform.  The  attracting  force  of  matter  may  be  com- 
pared to  that  of  the  lodestone  whereby  it  draws  the  iron 
filings  to  itself.  Every  body  of  matter,  and  even  every 
particle,  thus  attracts  every  other  body  and  particle.  It 
is  the  earth's  attraction  that  brings  down  the  apple  from 
the  tree,  and  the  rain-drop  from  the  cloud.  What  renders 
it  difficult  to  remove  the  block  of  granite,  that  lies  before 
us,  is  simply  the  gravitating  force  with  which  the  earth 
draws  it  downwards  to  its  bosom.  The  weigld  of  any 
material  or  substance — of  a  bushel  of  wheat,  of  a  leg  of 
mutton,  or  of  a  gallon  of  water,  is  only  the  measure  of 
the  earth's  attracting  force  upon  it.  The  gravitating 
power  of  any  body  or  object,  of  a  boulder  or  a  planet,  for 
example,  is  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  matter  it 
contains ;  or,  to  employ  the  scientific  term,  in  proportion 
to  its  mass.  The  greater  the  mass  the  greater  the  attrac- 
tion ;  that  is,  twice  the  mass  gives  twice  the  attraction, 
and  three  tim^s  the  mass  three  times  the  attraction,  and  so 
on.  Now  the  mass  of  the  Sun  is  over  300,000  times  greater 
than  that  of  the  earth,  and  more  than  700  times  greater 
than  that  of  all  the  other  globes  of  the  system  put 
together.  Hence  we  see  his  superior  and  controlling 
power  over  every  member  of  his  planetary  family. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  speak  of  the  action  of  the  Sun's 
gravitation  on  the  movements  and  conservation  of  the 
system.  The  uniform  and  perpetual  motions  of  the 
planets  result  from  two  forces  :  the  one,  the  oriylnal  im- 
pulse given  to  each  globe,  however  imparted,  whose 
tendency  w\as  to  carry  it  forward  in  a  straight  line  through 
space  ;  the  other,  the  attracting  power  of  the  Sun  at  every 
instant  of  time  and  every  inch  of  its  progress,  drawing  it 
inward  toward  himself,  and  thus  changing  the  planet's 
onward  course  into  a  curve,  and  at  the  end  of  a  complete 
revolution  bringing  it  back  to  the  same  point  from  which 


580  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

it  started ;  and  all  this  to  pursue  the  same  round  again. 
In  this  way,  by  the  force  of  gravitation,  every  globe  in 
the  system  is  carried  round  in  its  orbit. 

The  power  thus  exerted  by  the  Sun  is  very  great;  some 
idea  of  it  may  be  gained  by  considering  what  an  amount 
of  force  it  must  require  to  turn  from  its  course  a  globe  of 
the  stupendous  weight  of  the  earth,  set  in  motion  and 
flying  forward  at  the  rate  of  nineteen  miles  per  second,  a 
velocity  more  than  a  thousand  times  that  of  the  fastest 
locomotive. 

If  the  attraction  of  the  Sun  were  reduced  or  lessened, 
the  orbit  of  every  planet  would  change  its  form^  and  the 
safety  of  the  whole  system  would  be  endangered.  If  his 
attraction  were  altogether  extinguished  or  annihilated, 
all  its  revolutionary  motions  would  immediately  cease, 
and  each  planet  would  forsake  its  orbit,  and  fly  forward 
in  a  straight  course  in  the  direction  in  which  it  was 
moving  at  the  instant  of  such  annihilation,  and  thus 
plunge  into  the  empty  void  never  to  return.  This  may 
be  illustrated  by  a  simple  experiment.  If  a  leaden  ball 
be  rapidly  whirled  round  at  the  end  of  a  string,  the  ball  in 
motion  will  represent  a  planet  revolving  in  its  orbit,  and 
the  string  that  compels  it  to  describe  a  circle  through  the 
air  will  represent  the  Sun's  attractive  force  on  that  planet. 
Now,  let  the  string  snap,  and  from  that  instant  the  ball 
will  cease  to  move  in  a  circle,  and  will  fly  forward  in  a 
straight  line,  as  does  a  stone  when  let  loose  from  the  sling. 
So,  the  moment  the  Sun's  gravitating  force  should  be  ex- 
tinguished, each  planet  would  rush  forward  m  a  straight 
course,  and  the  whole  system  would  be  scattered  through 
the  voids  of  space.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  the 
Sun's  gravitation  is  the  ruling  power  that  perpetuates 
the  motions  and  preserves  the  safety  of  this  whole  system 
of  creation. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  581 

Now,  the  action  of  gravitation  is  governed  by  one  uni- 
versal law,  and  that  law  is  this  :  The  force  with  which 
two  globes  or  two  particles  of  matter,  respectively  attract 
each  other,  is  directly  in  proportion  to  their  masses,  and 
inversely  'proportional  to  the  square  of  the  distances  between 
their  centres.  The  former  part  of  this  law,  from  what  has 
already  been  stated,  is  sufficiently  plain;  but  the  latter 
may  need  a  word  of  explanation.  If  the  distances  of 
two  bodies  be  indicated  by  the  first  line  of  figures  below, 
their  mutual  force  of  attraction,  at  those  distances,  will  be 
respectively  expressed  in  the  second  line: 

1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  etc. 

1>  \i  y»  Tg>  25»  "Sg*  ^tC. 

In  other  words,  if  the  Sun  attracts  the  earth  at  its  pres- 
ent distance  with  a  certain  amount  of  force,  at  twice  that 
distance  his  force  would  be  but  one-fourth  as  great;  at 
three  times  the  distance  only  one-ninth;  and  so  on. 
Gravitation  acts  according  to  this  law  undeviatingly, 
alike  in  regard  to  the  mightiest  globes  and  the  minutest 
particles,  throughout  the  universe.  There  is  no  discov- 
ery or  deduction  of  science  more  satisfactorily  established 
than  this  law. 

Here  then  a  most  interesting  question  suggests  itself — 
Why  should  gravitation  follow  this  peculiar  and  unique 
law?  How  came  it  into  action,  and  universal  action? 
There  is  nothing  in  the  nature  of  gravitation,  so  far  as 
we  know,  to  bind  it  to  this,  or  to  any  other  particular  law, 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  others.  On  the  contrary,  it  might 
have  acted  according  to  a  hundred  other  and  different 
laws.  Instead  of  inversely  as  the  squares,  it  might  have 
diminished  inversely  as  the  cubes,  or  inversely  as  the 
fourth,  or  any  other  higher  power:  or,  it  might  have  de- 
creased in  force  directly  and  simply  as  the  distance,  and 


582  TUE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

that  after  any  arithmetical  ratio.  Or,  instead  of  dimin- 
ishing, it  might  have  increased  as  the  squares  or  the  cubes 
of  the  distances :  or  it  might  have  increased  directly  and 
simply  as  the  distance,  and  this  in  any  proportion.  In 
short,  an  infinite  number  of  laws  was  possible  to  it.  How 
then  came  the  existing  law  to  prevail  and  be  established? 
Was  it  by  chance,  or  by  choice?  Let  us  consider  the 
facts  involved,  and  leave  these  to  decide  the  question. 

If  gravitation  had  varied — that  is,  increased  according 
to  any  direct  law  of  the  distance,  let  it  have  been  what 
it  might — confusion  and  speedy  destruction  would  have 
ensued.  For,  first,  the  mutual  attraction  of  the  planets 
themselves,  in  that  case,  would  have  perpetually  changed 
the  form  and  dimensions  of  one  another's  orbits,  a  dis- 
turbance that  would  have  been  productive  of  incalcu- 
lable evils.  Add  to  this  that,  under  such  a  law,  the 
gravity  of  bodies  at  the  earth's  surface  would  have  ceased 
to  exist.  No  substance  would  have  any  weight;  nothing 
would  press  or  fall  downwards.  The  attraction  of  the 
vast  orb  of  the  Sun  and  of  the  great  planets,  pulling  in 
proportion  to  their  immense  distances,  would  have  neu- 
tralized that  of  the  earth.  All  terrestrial  things  would 
have  floated  about,  as  it  were,  without  any  principle  of 
coherence  or  firmness,  and  all  terrestrial  animals  would 
have  tottered  along  without  any  power  or  feeling  of 
stability.  The  material  system  of  creation,  indeed,  would 
have  subsisted  had  gravitation  been  governed  by  a  direct 
law,  but  it  would  have  been  a  scene  of  disorder  and  in- 
security, and  altogether  unfitted  to  be  the  abode  of  sen- 
tient or  organized  existences. 

Let  us  now  consider  what  would  have  resulted  from  in- 
verse laws.  If  gravitation  had  decreased  inversely  as  the 
cubes,  to  wit,  after  the  series,  i,  |,  j'^,  ^^,  ^\^,  etc.; 
that   is,  one-eighth    at  double  the   distance,  one-twenty- 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  583 

seventh  at  three  times  the  distance,  and  so  on ;  or,  if  it 
had  decreased  inversely  after  any  other  higher  power, 
the  consequence  would  have  been  that  the  planets,  if 
they  once  began,  as  sometimes  they  must  have  through 
mutual  attraction,  to  approach  the  Sun,  they  would  have 
approached  him  nearer  and  nearer,  until  they  would 
have  fallen  upon  him;  or,  if  they  once  began,  as  at  other 
times  they  must  have  through  the  same  cause,  to  increase 
their  distance  from  him,  they  would  have  forever  receded 
from  him.  Or  to  borrow  the  language  of  a  distinguished 
mathematician,  "Under  such  laws,  it  would  follow,  that 
a  planet  would  describe  a  spiral  line  about  the  Sun,  and 
would  either  approach  nearer  to  him  perpetually,  or  per- 
petually go  further  off:  nearly  as  a  stone  at  the  end  of 
a  string,  when  the  string  is  whirled  round,  and  is  al- 
lowed to  wrap  round  the  hand,  or  to  unwrap  from  it, 
approaches  to  or  recedes  from  the  hand."  All  reciprocal 
ratios,  therefore,  except  what  lie  beneath  the  cube  of  the 
distance,  were  unfit  and  incapable  of  preserving  the  har- 
mony and  securing  the  safety  of  the  system. 

The  laws  of  attraction,  therefore,  by  which  a  system 
of  revolving  bodies,  like  the  planets,  could  be  preserved 
in  harmonious  motion,  lie  within  very  narrow  limits, 
compared  with  the  possible  laws — lie  within  the  space  of 
an  inch  as  compared  to  a  mile.  Here,  then,  is  strong 
evidence  o^ foresujld  and  cliolce. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Let  us  now  look  at  the  specific 
and  striking  advantages  attending  the  existing  law  above 
every  other  law,  whether  direct  or  inverse.  First,  under 
this  law,  the  attraction  of  a  particle  and  that  of  a  globe 
are  subject  to  the  same  rule,  a  point  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance in  the  regulation  of  the  system,  but  one  that  could 
be  secured  by  no  other  law.  Second,  by  the  existing 
law,  what  are  called  the  apsides,  or  the  points  in  a  planet's 


584  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

orbit  where  it  is  at  its  greatest  and  least  distance  from  the 
Sun,  are  fixed;  which  is  another  matter  of  vital  moment. 
To  make  this  plain,  the  earth,  for  example,  describes  an 
ellipse  in  her  annual  revolution;  in  consequence  of  which 
motion  she  is  nearer  to  the  Sun  in  our  winter  than  in 
our  summer  by  about  three  millions  of  miles.  And  un- 
der the  action  of  the  existing  law  of  gravitation,  the 
nearest  approach  to  the  Sun,  and  the  furthest  recess  from 
liim,  occur  always  at  the  same  points  of  the  orbit.  Now, 
if  the  gravitating  force  had  followed  any  other  law,  the 
earth  would  have  been  running  perpetually  on  a  new 
track.  The  greatest  and  least  distances  would  have  oc- 
curred at  different  parts  in  every  successive  revolution; 
and,  as  a  consequence,  the  regular  recurrence  of  the 
seasons  would  have  been  impossible.  Third,  the  present 
law  confines  the  unavoidable  perturbations,  arising  from 
the  planets'  mutual  attractions,  within  safe  limits.  It 
will  not  allow  these  perturbations  to  run  into  destructive 
or  even  dangerous  lengths,  but  so  balances  them  as  to 
render  them  mere  periodical  oscillations;  that  is,  when 
they  have  gradually  reached  a  certain  degree  in  one 
direction,  they  as  gradually  go  back  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection, and  then  return  as  before.  This  can  be  demon- 
strated of  the  existing  law,  but  of  no  other  law  what- 
ever. 

Here,  then,  is  another  class  of  decisive  evidences  that 
the  law  which  we  find  governing  the  universe  came 
into  action,  not  by  chance,  but  by  clioice — the  choice 
of  an  INTELLIGENCE  that  could  clearly  foresee  the  results 
of  all  possible  laws;  and  foreseeing  them,  established 
the  best. 

Teachings. 

He  who  with  a  devout  mind  contemplates  the  potent 
and  mysterious  workings  of  the  force  of  gravitation,  in 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  585 

the  world  of  matter,  will  see  in  them  most  striking  and 
instructive  illustrations  of  the  far  more  mysterious  and 
effective  power  that  is  operating  and  controlling  all,  in 
the  world  of  mind.  He  will  discover  that  there  is  such 
a  similarity  of  action  characterizing  the  natural  and  the 
spiritual,  that  he  shall  be  able  to  read  the  Gospel  in  the 
laws  obeyed  by  the  s'tars,  by  the  earth,  and  the  things 
that  are  in  the  earth,  as  upon  the  printed  page.  He  will 
find  that  the  same  principle  runs  through  things  spiritual 
as  through  things  natural.  "  The  invisible  things  of 
God  since  the  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly  seen, 
being  perceived  through  the  things  that  are  made,  even 
his  everlasting  power  and  divinity."  The  God  of  crea- 
tion is  the  God  of  the  Gospel.  "  I  look  on  the  natural 
firmament  with  its  glorious  inlay  of  stars,"  says  an  elo- 
quent writer ;  "  and  it  is  unto  me  as  the  breastplate  of 
the  Great  Pligh  Priest,  ardent  with  gems  oracular,  from 
which,  as  from  the  urim  and  thummim  on  Aaron's  epliod, 
come  messages  full  of  divinity.  And  when  I  turn  to  the 
page  of  Scripture,  and  perceive  the  nicest  resemblance 
between  the  characters  in  which  this  page  is  written,  and 
those  which  glitter  before  me  in  the  crowded  concave,  I 
feel  that,  in  trusting  myself  to  the  declarations  of  the 
Bible,  I  cling  to  him  who  speaks  to  me  from  every  point, 
and  by  every  splendor  of  the  visible  universe,  whose 
voice  is  in  the  marchings  of  the  planets,  and  the  rushing 
of  whose  melodies  is  in  the  wings  of  the  daylight." 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation  is  the  ruling  force  that  con- 
tinues the  revolutions  and  ensures  the  safety  of  the 
planetary  system  ;  so  (lie  love  of  the  Sun  of  Rlglittousness 
is  the  efficient  power  that  jyerpetuates  the  activity  and  guar' 
antics  the  safdy  of  the  church.  This  is  the  general  lesson 
suggested  by  the  interesting  subject  which  has  now  been 
before  us  j  but  let  us  descend  to  particulars. 


686  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

As  it  is  not  the  planet's  attraction  upon  the  Sun,  but 
the  Sun's  attraction  upon  the  planet,  that  draws  it  into 
its  appointed  orbit,  and  that  carries  it  safely  and  uni- 
formly round  from  year  to  year;  so  it  is  not  by  any 
native  power,  or  disposition  of  his  own,  that  any  sinful 
Iran  is  drawn  into  the  orbit  of  his  duty  and  allegiance  to 
God,  and  that  he  continues  to  pursue  it,  but  in  virtue  of 
the  attracting  love  and  guiding  grace  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness.  He  is  brought  and  kept  in  the  path  of 
life,  not  by  his  apprehending  of  Christ,  but  by  his  being 
apprehended  of  him.  "No  man  cometh  to  me  except  the 
Father  draw  him."  If  any  man  finds  himself  in  the 
narrow  way,  and  advancing  in  it,  he  owes  it  entirely  to 
the  grace  of  Christ  going  before — before  any  good  efforts 
or  desires  of  his  own — imparting  light,  impressing  truth, 
and  urging  him  to  duty  and  to  God.  It  is  after  this,  and 
in  consequence  of  it,  that  the  sinner's  own  powers  are 
r.wakened  into  activit}^,  and  that  he  runs  with  patience 
the  race  that  is  set  before  him.  The  heavenward  motion 
begins  with  God,  and  not  with  man. 

Again :  As  the  planet's  safety  is  perpetually  dependent 
upon  the  Sun's  controlling  action,  so  the  Christian's 
security  is  every  day,  every  hour,  dependent  on  the 
attracting;  love  and  sj^uidinc;  care  of  the  Sun  of  Riirhteous- 
ness.  Left  to  himself,  left  to  his  own  centrifugal  tenden- 
cies, like  a  planet  cut  loose  from  the  bond  of  gravitation, 
he  would  immediately  forsake  the  right  way,  and  plunge 
into  darkness  and  destruction.  He  would  become,  as 
saith  the  apostle  Jude,  "  a  wandering  star,  to  whom  is 
reserved  the  blackness  of  darkness  forever."  What,  then, 
is  our  hope,  or  what  our  comfort?  This — "We  are  kept 
by  the  power  of  God,  through  faith,  unto  salvation." 

The  Love  of  Christ  is  the  gravitating  force  of  the 
spiritual   universe,  and  the  centre  of  that  gravitation  is 


CENTRE   OF  GRAVITATION.  587 

Ills  Cross.  "And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me."  Yes,  the  cross  of  Christ — his 
suffering,  dying  love,  as  exhibited  on  that  instrument  of 
cruelty,  ignominy,  and  torture — is  the  power,  and  the 
only  power,  adequate  to  arrest  and  attract  sinful  men. 
On  the  cross  they  behold  the  most  astonishing,  the  most 
touching,  the  most  melting  manifestation  of  the  Divine 
mercy  and  compassion  !  and  from  thence  comes  the  hal- 
lowed influence  which  alone  hath  power  to  triumph  over 
the  obduracy  of  the  human  heart,  and  to  bring  into 
captivity  its  affections  and  passions  all.  On  the  cross, 
they  see  God — God  in  Christ — pitying,  loving,  dying  for 
his  erring  creatures;  see  him  voluntarily  undergoing 
sorrow  and  agony  inexpressibly  affecting,  to  rescue  their 
souls  from  the  evil  that  was  hurrying  them  into  dread 
perdition  !  The  sight  attracts  them,  and  moves  them, 
as  nothing  else  has  the  power  to  do.  Never  more  are 
they  able  to  withdraw  their  gaze  from  that  Divine  Victim. 
The  wondrous  Object  takes  entire  and  permanent  posses- 
sion of  their  whole  being.  A  new  and  celestial  gravitating 
power  has  seized  every  particle  of  their  existence,  and 
willingly  they  yield  themselves  to  its  sweet  influences. 
With  alacrity  and  delight  they  run  in  their  appointed 
rounds  of  duty.  And  henceforth,  as  the  morning  stars 
sang  together  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy,  so 
they  sing  and  shout,  "God  forbid  that  I  should  glory 
save  in  the  cross  of  Christ!" 

Thus,  like  the  invisible  power  of  gravitation  in  the 
world  of  matter,  the  Love  of  the  crucified  Son  of  God  is 
silentl}'  but  constantly  acting,  in  the  world  of  mind, 
drawing  wanderers  to  himself,  setting  them  in  motion 
toward  heaven,  sustaining  them  in  the  path  of  duty  and 
devotion,  and  daily  propelling  them  forward  in  it  with 
gladness  and  rejoicing. 
36 


588  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

We  know  of  no  force  in  nature  more  potent  than  that 
of  the  Sun's  gravitation.  No  magnitude  is<too  vast  for 
its  control,  no  distance  is  too  great  for  it  to  span,  no 
velocity  is  too  swift  for  its  pursuit,  no  body  is  too  solid 
or  too  ethereal  for  its  grasp ;  the  mighty  orb  of  Jupiter, 
the  remote  and  lonely  Neptune,  the  flying  Mercury  and 
the  filmy  comet,  alike  own  its  sway  and  obey  its  energy. 
So  in  the  realm  of  mind  and  morals,  we  know  of  no 
power  that  equals,  or  that  may  be  compared  with,  the 
Love  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  There  is  no  passion 
so  strong,  no  affection  so  ardent,  no  propensity  so  invet- 
erate, belonging  to  the  human  soul,  but  what  it  can 
subdue,  and  often  has  subdued.  The  desire  of  riches, 
the  lust  of  pleasure,  the  attractions  of  fame,  the  fascina- 
tions of  honor  and  power,  the  attacjiment  of  kindred,  and 
even  the  love  of  life  itself,  have  a  thousand  and  a  thou- 
sand times  faded  away  and  vanished  when  placed  in 
competition  with  the  love  of  Christ.  And  the  power  of 
that  love  remains  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever. With  equal  joy  and  triumph,  therefore,  we  exclaim 
with  the  Christian  hero  who  had  proved  it  on  land  and 
sea,  in  labors  and  perils,  in  stripes  and  imprisonment,  in 
hunger  and  nakedness, — "Who  shall  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  Christ  ?  shall  tribulation,  or  anguish,  or  per- 
secution, or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword? 
Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors 
through  him  that  loved  us.  For  I  am  persuaded,  that 
neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor 
things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  powers,  nor  height, 
nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  sepa- 
rate us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord." 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  589 

ANALOGY  II. 

As  the  /Sun's  gravitation  is  instantaneous  and  unremitting  in  its  action 
upon  all  the  globes  of  the  si/stem,—so  the  love  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness is  instantaneous  and  unremitting  in  its  exercise  toward  every 
member  of  his  church. 

Phenomena. 

Gravitation,  we  have  seen,  is  a  universal  force  of 
matter,  acting  uniformly  according  to  one  and  the  same 
law  throughout  creation.  But  what  is  this  gravitating 
force  ?  Why  should  all  matter  have  gravitation  ?  Is  it 
a  necessary  property  of  matter  ?  or,  could  matter  exist 
without  it?  Is  it  an  inherent  principle  of  material  sub- 
stances ?  or,  is  it  the  effect  of  motion  or  pressure  from 
without?  These  are  questions  wkich  have  long  engaged 
the  study  of  the  profoundest  minds,  but  which  thus  far 
remain  without  any  satisfactory  answers.  Some  have 
conceived  and  put  forth  the  idea  that  this  force  is  the 
effect  of  subtle  and  infinitely  ethereal  particles  ceaselessly^ 
emanating  from  the  attracting  body,  something  after  the 
manner  in  which  caloric  emanates  from  a  heated  ball. 
But  who  is  able  to  comprehend  how  particles  streaming 
fro7n  a  centre  can  draw  a  body  towards  it?  The  impulse 
in  such  a  case  must  always  be  the  other  way.  Others 
have  ascribed  gravitation  to  a  conflux  of  particles  inces- 
santly flowing  with  a  vast  velocity  towards  a  centre,  and 
carrying  down  all  bodies  along  with  it.  But  from  what 
source  is  this  stream  of  particles  fed  ?  and  what  becomes 
of  its  accumulated  discharge  ?  Others,  again,  of  a  more 
metaphysical  turn,  tell  us  that,  "  Gravity  is  not  a  mate- 
rial entity,  but  the  corrolate  of  thought  to  motion,  the 
occult  cause  inferred  by  the  mind  where  change  of  place 
is  observed."  This  certainly  is  imposing  diction ;  but 
what  idea  does  it  convey  of  the  unquestionable  pull  or 


590  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

pressure  of  gravitation?  or  what  ray  of  light  does  it 
throw  on  the  subject?  None  whatever.  Others  still  have 
attempted  to  explain  this  force  by  supposing  that  there 
is  diffused  through  all  the  vast  regions  where  its  action 
is  displayed,  between  star  and  star,  between  mass  and 
mass,  molecule  and  molecule,  an  invisible  intervening 
medium,  bathing  them  on  all  sides,  and  pressing  them 
one  toward  another.  But  if  attraction  is  the  result  of 
such  pressure,  what  is  there  without  this  medium  to 
press  it  thus  ever  inward  ?  or,  if  there  is  nothing,  what 
prevents  it,  as  Sir  John  Herschel  asks,  from  expanding 
into  infinite  space,  and  losing  itself  there  ?  Or,  if  it  presses 
all  bodies  with  so  great  a  force  as  gravitation  is  known 
to  do,  how  is  it  that  it  does  not  resist  the  planets  in  their 
onward  motion,  and  ultimately  bring  them  all  to  a  dead 
stand  ?  How  can  it  act  and  not  resist  ?  If  all  space  were 
filled  with  such  a  forcible  medium,  motion  would  be 
impossible. 

Such  are  the  theories  that  have  been  proposed  to  ex^ 
plain  the  nature  of  gravitation,  all  of  which,  as  the  reader 
must  have  observed,  are  based  on  mere  assumptions. 
Not  one  of  them  in  the  slightest  degree  relieves  the 
subject  of  its  difficulties ;  nay,  each  of  them  assumes  for 
its  ground  what  would  be  as  great  a  mystery  as  that 
which  it  seeks  to  explain.  They  amount  to  nothing 
more  than  speculative  fables.  Gravitation,  as  to  its 
nature,  remains  as  much  a  mystery  to-day  as  it  was  in 
the  day  when  Newton  announced  to  the  world  the  law 
that  governs  it.  Indeed,  its  mysteries  have  been  rather 
on  the  increase  as  it  has  been  studied.  Let  us  glance  at 
some  of  these. 

Gravitation  acts  in  perfect  indifference  to  all  intervening 
obstacles.  Nothing  can  hide  or  shelter  an  object  from  its 
grasp  ;  nothing  impede  or  lessen  its  energj'.     Of  no  other 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  591 

force  in  nature  can  this  be  said.  Floods,  however  im- 
petuous, may  be  turned  into  new  channels.  Winds  are 
arrested  by  mountains  ^nd  forests.  The  lightning  may 
be  diverted  from  its  course.  The  heat  of  the  Sun  is  in- 
tercepted by  the  clouds.  And  even  light,  notwithstanding 
the  etherealness  of  its  medium  and  the  swiftness  of  its 
flight,  is  either  stopped  or  deflected,  more  or  less,  by 
almost  every  substance.  But  to  gravitation  all  media 
are  alike,  and  all  perfectly  transparent ;  nothing  is  able 
to  reflect,  refract,  or  absorb  it.  Two  mountain  peaks  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  globe  attract  each  other  as  if  there 
were  absolutely  nothing  between  them.  When  the  body 
of  the  earth,  as  happens  at  a  lunar  eclipse,  stands  in  a 
direct  line  between  the  Sun  and  the  Moon,  and  buries 
her  in  its  deep  dark  shadow,  the  force  of  the  Sun's  gravi- 
tation upon  her  is  neither  retarded,  nor  diminished,  nor 
in  anywise  affected  by  the  interposition. 

Again  :  Gravitation  possesses  a  velocity  that  is  almost, 
if  not  altogether,  instantaneous.  It  requires  no  appreci- 
able time  to  transmit  its  action  over  the  greatest  distances, 
or  to  reach  the  remotest  planets  of  the  system.  It  can 
be,  and  has  been  proved,  that  if  there  had  been  the  least 
loss  of  time  in  the  passage  of  the  Sun's  attractive  force  on 
the  earth  across  the  intervening  space  of  ninety-two  mil- 
lions of  miles,  it  would  perpetually  accelerate  the  motion 
of  the  earth  in  its  orbit,  and  this  acceleration,  however 
minute,  would  of  necessity  result  in  a  continually  pro- 
gressive increase  of  its  major  axis,  and  therefore  of  the 
length  of  the  year.  Supposing  the  transmission  of  grav- 
ity to  be  performed  with  the  speed  of  light,  the  effect. 
Sir  John  Herschel  assures  us,  would  become  evident  in 
a  few  years.  But  not  the  least  effect  of  this  kind  has 
taken  place  in  hundreds  or  even  thousands  of  years; 
not  the  least  loss  of  time,  therefore,  has  occurred  in  the 


592  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

transmission  of  the  Sun's  attractive  force.  The  actual 
velocity  of  light  is  185,000  miles  per  second;  but  the 
velocity  of  gravitation,  if  any  finite  measure  can  be  given 
to  it,  according  to  the  calculations  of  Laplace,  is  at  least, 
Jifty  million  times  that  of  light ! 

Again:  Gravitation  acts  in  a  manner  that  seems  to 
imply  both  the  creation  and  the  annildlation  of  force.  It 
is  now  held  among  philosophers  to  be  an  established  doc- 
trine, that  the  amount  of  matter  and  the  amount  of  force 
in  the  material  creation  ever  remain  the  same — that 
nothing  has  been  added  to  or  taken  from  either  the  one 
or  the  other  since  the  moment  the  universe  was  spoken 
into  existence.  But  gravity  appears  to  act,  if  not  in  ab- 
solute contradiction  of  this,  yet  in  a  manner  that  is 
utterly  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  reconcile  with  it. 
For  example,  the  globe  A,  attracts  the  globe  B,  at  a  given 
distance,  with  a  certain  amount  of  force;  now,  according 
to  the  law  of  gravitation,  if  this  distance  be  reduced,  say 
to  one-tenth,  the  attracting  force  of  A  is  at  once  increased 
just  a  hundredfold,  a  fact  that  implies  an  actual  creation 
of  force.  Or,  let  us  reverse  the  example,  and  increase 
the  distance  of  B,  say  tenfold,  and  the  force  of  A  upon  it 
is  immediately  diminished  to  just  the  one-hundredth 
part  of  its  former  amount,  a  change  that  implies  an  ac- 
tual an7iiliilation  of  force.  Here,  then,  are  two  effects  in 
connection  with  gravitation  which  seem  to  require  the 
intervention  of  Infinite  Power  to  produce. 

Again,  the  received  law  of  gravitation  supposes  that  if 
A  had  been  an  isolated  globe,  the  only  one  in  being,  it 
would  have  no  gravitative  force;  but  that,  the  moment 
the  globe  B  (which  by  itself  would  also  be  without  grav- 
itative force)  is  brought  into  existence,  gravitative  force 
springs  up  in  both  globes.  This,  likewise,  seems  to  imply 
the  creation  of  force. 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  693 

Once  more;  to  take  a  different  illustration  of  the  mys- 
tery of  gravitation,  let  us  consider  the  mutual  action  of 
one  globe  and  of  many.  Let  the  globe  A  occupy  the 
centre  of  a  circle,  and  the  globe  B  be  placed  on  its  cir- 
cumference, and  the  former  will  attract  the  latter  with  a 
certain  amount  of  force.  Now  let  another  globe  of  the 
same  mass  and  dimensions  as  B,  be  placed  with  it  on 
that  circumference,  and  this  will  be  attracted  by  A  with 
an  equal  force.  And  if  other  such  globes  be  added,  to 
the  number  of  a  hundred,  or  a  thousand,  and  placed  on 
that  circumference,  A  will  still  attract  each  of  these  with 
the  same  power  as  it  did  B  when  it  stood  alone  there. 

„o-o o„ 

0"  9 

6      0-- — o-'    ■ 

b  d 

"o 0---0" 

ATTBACTION  CREATED  AND  ANNIHILATED. 

If  now,  instead  of  a  circle,  we  imagine  a  sphere  of  the 
same  diameter,  and  that  this  is  inlaid  or  paved  with  sim- 
ilar globes  to  the  number  of  a  million,  A  will  still  attract 
each  of  these  with  exactly  the  same  amount  of  force  as 
the  first.  How  are  we  to  comprehend,  how  are  we  even 
to  conceive  of  this  force  growing  up  in  yi  to  a  million- 
fold  its  original  amount?  But  further,  let  us  now 
imagine  these  globes  to  be  one  by  one  removed  and  put 
out  of  existence,  till  B  remains  alone  once  more  on  the 
supposed  circumference,  and  the  attracting  force  exerted 
by  A  has  been  gradually  diminished  till  reduced  to  the 


694  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

millionth  part,  or  that  which  it  exerted  on  the  first  soli- 
tary globe.  And  have  we  not  here  again  something  like 
the  creation  and  annihilation  of  force?  or,  at  least,  what 
is  to  us  equally  incomprehensible?  Such  are  some  of  the 
mysteries  connected  with  the  force  we  call  gravitation. 

What,  then,  is  gravitation?  What  can  this  power  be 
which  pervades  all  matter,  uniting  particle  to  particle, 
and  which  spans  all  space,  binding  satellites  to  their 
planets,  and  planets  to  their  Sun?  Human  science,  as  we 
have  seen,  has  failed  to  give  any  satisfactory  answer  to 
this  question.  If  with  Le  Sage  and  Sir  William  Thom, 
son  we  regard  this  force  as  the  effect  of  an  infinity  of 
atoms  flying  inward  with  extreme  velocity  from  ultra 
mundane  space,  we  only  remove  the  difficulty  a  step  fur- 
ther back,  and  compel  ourselves  to  look  beyond  for  an- 
other and  a  higher  agency,  and  to  ask,  whence  comes 
this  unceasing  flood  of  particles?  and  who  or  what  sets 
and  keeps  them  in  motion?  Nor  can  we  stop  until,  as- 
cending from  the  limitable  to  the  illimitable,  we  resolve  it 
and  its  governing  influence  to  the  source  and  centre  of 
all  power — the  will-power  of  the  eternal  creator,  "who 
worketh  all  in  all,  and  by  whom  all  things  consist."* 

*This  is  the  conclusion  to  which  not  a  few  of  the  j)roroinKlest  niinils  of  modern 
times  have  come.  Faraday,  the  distinguished  English  clieinist,  says,  "  All  force  is 
■will-force."  Sir  John  Herschel, — "Tlie  action  of  mind  on  matter  admits  of  no  ex- 
planation in  words,  or  elucidation  by  parallels.  We  know  it  as  a  fact,  but  are 
utterly  incapable  of  analysing  it  as  a  process.  Now,  all  bodies  with  which  we  are 
acquainted,  when  raised  into  the  air  and  quietly  abandoned,  descend  to  the  earth's 
surface  in  lines  perpendicular  to  it.  They  are,  therefore,  urged  thereto  l-y  a  force 
or  effort,  which  it  is  but  reasonable  to  regard  as  the  direct  or  indirect  result  of 
ConacAousness  and  a  Will  existing  somewhere,  though  bej'ond  our  ])ower  to  trace, 
which  we  term  gravity."  Professor  Whewell, — "  The  knowledge  and  tlie  agency 
of  the  Divine  Being  pervade  every  portion  of  the  universe,  producing  all  action 
and  passion,  all  y)ermanence  and  change.  The  laws  of  nature  arc  the  laws  which 
he,  in  his  wisdom,  prescribes  to  his  own  acts."  Sir  Isaac  Newton, — "All  can  be  the 
effect  of  nothing  else  than  the  wisdom  and  skill  of  a  powerful,  everliving  Agent, 
•who  being  in  all  places,  is  more  able  by  his  Will  to  move  the  bodies  within  his 
boundless  uniform  sensorium,  and  thereby  to  form  and  re-form  the  parts  of  tiie  uni- 
verse,  than  we  are  by  our  will  to  move  the  parts  of  our  own  bodies.  God  is  one 
and  the  same  God  always  and  everywhere." 


centre  of  gravitation.  595 

Teachings. 

Mysterious  in  many  of  its  operations  as  is  the  force  we 
have  now  been  contemplating,  it  is  yet  rich  in  spiritual 
instructions  of  highest  import  and  sweetest  comfort  to 
them  who  are  able  to  read  and  to  receive  them. 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation  is  instantaneous  and  unre- 
mitting in  its  action  upon  all  the  members  of  his  great 
system,  so  the  love  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  ?'s  instanta- 
neous and  unfailing  in  its  exercise  towards  all  his  people. 
It  matters  not  in  what  sphere  they  move,  or  at  what 
distance  they  may  dwell,  whether  in  the  crowded  city, 
or  in  the  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  or  afar  off  upon  the  sea, 
his  ear  is  ever  open  to  hear  their  cry,  and  the  arm  of  his 
love  ever  able  to  reach  them  in  a  moment,  yea,  he  even 
anticipates  their  wants,  and  provides  for  them  ere  they 
express  their  desires:  "Before  they  call  I  will  answer, 
and  while  they  are  yet  speaking  I  will  hear." 

As  the  Solar  gravitation  is  an  ever-present  force  in  all 
the  globes  of  the  system,  never  suspended,  never  inter- 
mitted in  its  action  for  an  instant;  so  the  love  of  Christ 
ever  abides  ivith  all  his  pecqyle,  and  is  unremitting  i7i  its 
exercise  for  their  welfare.  He  never  leaves  nor  forsakes 
them.  "  lie  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my  Father, 
and  I  will  love  him,  and  manifest  myself  to  him — and 
we  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  yon  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world."  What  sublime  promises!  What  an  inspiring 
thought — lam  toith  thee! 

"  If  Thou,  my  Jesus,  still  art  nigh, 
Cheerfully  I  live,  and  cheerfully  die: 
Secure  when  mortal  comforts  flee, 
To  find  ten  thousand  worlds  in  Thee." 

As  the  Sun's  gravitation  follows  one  and  the  same  law 
in   its   action  on  planet  and  planetoid,  so   Christ  in  his 


596  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

love  toward  all  Ids  followers.  With  him  is  no  regard  of 
persons.  He  knows  no  distinctiori  among  men  save  that 
which  arises  from  the  state  of  their  hearts.  All  ranks, 
all  conditions  are  on  the  same  level  to  him.  Like  the  mys- 
terious power  of  gravity,  his  loving  care  embraces  all,  and 
guides  all,  alike.  He  is  as  mindful  of  the  peasant  in  his 
cottage  as  of  the  prince  in  his  palace ;  and  his  love  dwells 
as  richly  in  the  heart  of  the  slave  in  his  chains  as  in  that 
of  the  monarch  who  sits  upon  his  throne.  "There  is  one 
law  for  him  that  is  home-born,  and  for  the  stranger  that 
sojourneth  among  you,  for  I  am  the  Lord  your  God." 

Again  :  As  the  Sun's  gravitation  can  neither  be  inter- 
cepted nor  impeded  in  reaching  its  object,  so  neither  can 
the  love  of  Christ  in  reaching  his  j^eojyle.  It  matters  not 
what  their  situation  or  surroundings  may  be.  They  may 
be  sunk  in  poverty,  or  buried  in  obscurity,  but  this  will 
not  exclude  his  presence:  "To  this  poor  man  will  I  look, 
even  to  him  that  is  of  a  contrite  spirit,  and  trembleth  at 
my  word."  They  may  be  driven  into  exile  far  from 
home,  and  friends,  and  every  human  association;  but 
this  offers  no  hindrance  to  the  visits  of  his  love ;  even  in 
the  lonely  Patmos  we  hear  the  banished  John  rejoicing 
in  the  presence  of  "  him  who  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood."  They  may  be  in  the 
hands  of  their  enemies,  or  shut  up  within  prison  walls, 
or  guarded  by  armies,  or  immured  in  dungeons,  but  these 
are  no  impediments  to  a  Saviour's  love.  Iron  gates  and 
granite  walls  are  as  transparent  to  its  access  as  the  view- 
less air  or  genial  sunshine.  Peter  was  imprisoned  of 
Herod,  and  doomed  to  die,  but  his  soul  was  so  tranquillized 
with  that  love,  that  he  could  peacefully  sleep  amid  the 
four  quaternions  of  soldiers.  And  Paul  and  Silas,  when 
thrust  into  the  inner  prison,  and  made  fast  in  the  stocks, 
were  heard  singing  his  praises  even  at  the  midnight  hour. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  597 

Yes,  though  mountains  and  oceans,  or  even  death  and 
hell  should  interpose,  "  they  shall  rest  in  his  love,  and 
rejoice  in  his  salvatioi^" 

Again  :  As  the  Sun's  attraction  on  any  one  planet  is 
none  the  less  powerful  for  his  attracting  many  others  at 
the  same  time,  so  the  love  of  Christ  for  any  one  •particular 
believer  is  none  the  less  ardent  for  his  loving  millions  of 
other  believers.  .  The  Sun  does  not  divide  his  attracting 
force,  but  repeats  it;  he  does  not  direct  a  certain  portion 
of  his  strength  to  this  globe,  and  another  portion  to  that, 
but  exerts  the  attraction  of  his  whole  mass  upon  each. 
So  neither  is  the  love  of  Christ  divided  among  his  fol- 
lowers, but  each  has  his  whole  heart;  and  if  their  num- 
ber should  be  multiplied  a  thousand-fold,  as  assuredly  it 
will  at  a  coming  day,  each  of  these  will  still  have  the 
full  measure  of  that  heart's  love.  Moreover,  the  Sun's 
attraction  is  not  enfeebled  by  the  lapse  of  time,  or  by 
continued  action,  but  is  as  powerful  to-day  to  guide  and 
uphold  the  system  as  it  was  in  the  day  the  planets 
accomplished  their  first  revolutions.  So  the  love  of 
Christ  for  his  people  remains  the  same  yesterday,  to-day 
and  forever.     His  love 

"  Lives  through  all  life,  extends  through  all  extent, 
Spreads  undivided,  operates  unspent." 

Once  more  :  As  gravitation  involves  much  that  is  mys- 
terious and  inscrutable  to  human  science,  so  the  religion 
of  Christ  embraces  much  that  is  altogether  beyond  the  com- 
prehension of  man.  As  Christianity  relates  to  the  Su- 
preme Being,  infinite  and  eternal  in  all  his  attributes,  and 
to  matters  that  are  purely  spiritual  in  their  nature  and 
unending  in  their  duration,  it  of  necessity  embraces  many 
things  that  are  incomprehensible  to  frail  and  finite  man 
— a  creature  whose  sphere  of  vision  is  but  a  speck,  whose 


598  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

age  is  but  a  day,  who  left  his  cradle  but  yesterday  and 
to-morrow  sinks  into  his  grave.  To  such  a  creature  the 
religion  of  the  Son  of  God  must  aitd  does  embrace  many 
mysteries.  His  own  pre-existence  as  a  divine,  infinite 
and  eternal  Spiritual  Being  is  a  mystery ;  his  incarnation 
is  a  mystery ;  his  ministry  among  sinful  men  is  a  mys- 
tery ;  his  death,  his  resurrection  and  ascension  are  mys- 
teries. "  Without  controversy,"  says  the  apostle,  "  great 
is  the  mystery  of  godliness ;  God  manifested  in  the  flesh, 
justified  in  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the 
Gentiles,  believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up  into 
glory." 

Now  we  have  a  class  of  men,  scientific  men,  the  materi- 
alists of  the  present  day,  who  proudly  reject  Christianity 
on  this  very  ground,  namely,  because  it  embraces  so  much 
that  is  mysterious  and  incomprehensible  to  them.  "  In 
endeavoring  to  understand  it,"  say  they,  "  we  feel  that  we 
are  dealing  with  a  mere  idle  phantasy.  Valid  knowledge 
is  to  be  found  only  by  confining  ourselves  strictly  to  that 
realm  to  which  science  limits  itself — the  realm  of  phe- 
nomena and  their  relations."  But  is  the  field  of  science 
free  from  mysteries?  Does  not  the  philosopher,  the 
genuine  philosopher,  who  pushes  his  inquiries  to  the 
bottom  of  natural  phenomena,  to  their  ultimate  relations^ 
and  bearings  and  issues,  find  himself  in  a  region  full  of 
puzzling  perplexities,  of  operations  and  results  that  are 
inexplicable,  of  dilemmas  that  land  him  in  what  is  incon- 
ceivable, and  of  problems  that  he  has  to  give  up  as  utterly 
insoluble  ?  "  The  more  we  investigate  nature,"  sajs 
Bixby,  "  the  more  miracles  we  find  before  our  eyes."  So 
Herbert  Spencer — "Alike  in  the  external  and  the  internal 
worlds,  the  man  of  science  sees  himself  in  the  midst  of 
perpetual  changes  of  which  he  can  discover  neither  the 
beginning  nor    the  end.     In    all    directions   his   invcsti- 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  599 

gations  eventually  bring  him  face  to  face  with  an  insoluble 
enigma."  So  also  Professor  Tyndall — "  The  phenomena 
of  matter  and  force  lie  before  us,"  says  he,  "  but  behind, 
and  above,  and  around  all,  the  real  mysteries  of  this 
universe  remain  unsolved." 

But  not  to  enter  upon  the  difficulties   and  mysteries 
which  science  encounters  in  general,  let  us  confine  our- 
selves to  those  which  are  connected  with  the  particular 
subject  before  us.     Who  shall  explain  to  us  the  incon- 
ceivabilities and  seeming  contradictions  that  appear  to 
beset  the  nature  and  action  of  gravitation?    What  is  this 
ubiquitous  force,  and   whence  the  unique  law  which  it 
follows?    Who  shall  make  plain  to  us  its  apparent  power 
of  self-creation  and  self-annihilation  ?    Who  shall  tell  us 
when  or  how  matter  became  endowed  with  this  force,  or 
where  are  the  limits  of  its  action  ?     If  this  force  is  inher- 
ent in  matter,  what  is  its  condition  during  the  interval 
of  its  flight  from  the  Sun  to  a  planet,  when  it  is  not  in 
connection   with  either?     What  is    gravitation  without 
matter?    And  what  is  matter  without  gravitation?    Who 
can    answer   these    questions  ?     Who  will  undertake  to 
explain  these  mysteries?     No  philosopher,  no  materialist 
even,  pretends   to  be  able   to   do   this.     Here,  then,  are 
difficulties  that  are,  so  far  as  he  can  see,  as  much  bej'ond 
his  comprehension  as  anything  that  is  proposed  to  his 
faith  in  the  Gospel.     And    yet  notwithstanding    all  its 
mysteries,  he  receives  the  doctrine  of  gravitation  without 
a  question  or  a  doubt.     But  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel 
he  will  not  receive  ;  these  he  rejects.    And  why?    Because 
there  is  mystery  connected  with   them.     What  strange 
inconsistency!    What  palpable  self-contradiction!    Where 
is  the  philosophy  of  admitting  that  mystery  is  a  necessary 
condition  in  the  lower  sphere  of  matter  and  force,  and 
denying  that  it  should  exist  in  the  higher  sphere  of  mind 


600  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  spirit?  Where  is  the  reason  of  regarding  raysterj'', 
in  one  subject,  as  being  no  valid  objection  to  a  doctrine, 
and  in  another  magnifying  it  to  an  insuperable  difficulty? 
Where  is  the  superior  discernment  of  those  who  can 
attach  such  widely  different  significance  to  one  and  the 
same  thing?  Is  it  not  obvious  that  the  true  and  real 
cause  of  this  rejection  of  religion  lies,  not  in  the  mysteries 
it  embraces,  but  in  the  pride  and  self-sufficiency  of  human 
reason,  and  in  the  aversion  of  the  human  heart  to  its 
pure  but  humbling  spirit  ?  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little 
child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein." 


ANALOGY  III. 

As,  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  gravitation,  the  nearer  a  planeVs  orbit  is  to 
the  Sun,  the  swifter  its  motion  around  him; — so,  in  virtue  of  the  law  of 
love,  the  nearer  a  Christian'^s  path  to  the  Sim  of  Righteousness,  the 
greater  the  speed  and  delight  with  ichich  he  runs  in  it. 

Phenomena. 

In  the  infancy  of  his  study  of  creation,  the  simplest 
and  most  natural  idea  to  man,  when  he  observed  the 
daily  race  of  the  Sun  and  the  nightly  course  of  the  Moon 
and  stars,  in  the  same  direction,  was,  that  the  earth  is  a 
fixed  body,  the  centre  around  which  all  these  perpetually 
revolve.  This  would  appear  to  him  to  be  actually  the 
fact.  But  in  very  early  times  another  and  a  different 
opinion  began  to  dawn  upon  a  few  gifted  minds.  It  is 
supposed  that  Pythagoras,  who  flourished  about  500  b.  c, 
put  forth  the  idea  that  the  Sun,  and  not  the  earth,  was 
the  true  centre  of  these  revolutions.  Whether  this  be 
true  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  this  doctrine  was  taught  by 
Aristarchus,  some  280  B.  c.     But  Ptolemy,  an  li]gyptian 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  601 

astronomer,  who  lived  in  the  second  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era,  advanced  quite  a  different  theory.  He  held 
that  the  earth  was  the  centre  of  a  system  of  eight  im- 
mense hollow  spheres  of  crystal,  placed  one  within  the 
other:  that  the  Moon  was  in  the  nearest  sphere;  Mer- 
cury in  the  next;  Venus  in  the  third;  the  Sun  in  the 
fourth;  Mars,  Jupiter,  and  Saturn,  in  the  fifth,  sixth,  and 
seventh,  respectively ;  and  that  the  eighth  belonged  to  the 
Stars,  which,  though  most  distant,  were  still  visible 
through  the  transparent  crystal.  The  revolution  of  this 
complicated  system  of  spheres  around  the  earth  from  east 
to  west  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  he  thought  would 
account  for  the  succession  of  day  and  night,  and  the 
various  phenomena  of  the  heavens. 

The  theory  of  Ptolemy  gained  great  popularity,  and 
was  the  one  commonly  received  and  taught  for  nearly 
fifteen  centuries.  At  length,  however,  it  was  discarded, 
as  failing  to  account  for  many  of  the  observed  celestial 
motions,  in  any  reasonable  or  consistent  way.  In  1473, 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Copernicus  was  born  in  Prussia, 
who,  though  invested  with  the  office  of  a  priest,  became 
an  indefati2:able  student  of  the  heavens,  and  ere  loner 
found  abundant  reasons  for  rejecting  the  system  of  Ptole- 
my, and  returning  to  that  of  Pythagoras  and  Aristarchus. 
His  course,  for  a  time,  was  strenuously  opposed  and  bit- 
terly denounced,  as  being  unscriptural  and  profane.  His 
three  fundamental  points  were,  that  the  earth  is  round; 
that  it  turns  upon  its  axis  from  west  to  east;  and 
that  the  earth  and  the  other  planets  revolve  around  the 
Sun. 

About  a  century  later  arose  the  distinguished  Kepler, 
who  heartily  embraced  and  advocated  the  views  of  Co- 
pernicus, and  who  by  careful  observations  and  laborious 
calculations  did  much  to  establish  his  theory.     Contem- 


602  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

porary  Avith  Kepler  was  Galileo,  an  Italian  philosopher, 
the  inventor  of  the  telescope,  and  the  first  that  employed 
that  instrument  to  scan  the  heavenly  bodies.  Directing 
his  new  invention  to  the  planet  Jupiter,  there  he  beheld 
what  mortal  eyes  had  never  seen  before — its  four  revolv- 
ing moons.  Yes,  in  that  planet  and  his  encircling  satel- 
lites he  discovered  in  actual  play  a  miniature  system,  such 
as  Copernicus  and  others  represented  the  Sun  and  the 
planets  to  be.  This  dissipated  the  last  shadows  of  doubt 
concerning  the  truth  and  correctness  of  the  Copernican 
system. 

But  the  problem.  What  is  the  cause  of  the  planets' 
motions — what  power  or  force  carries  them  forward  in 
their  orbits — still  remained  unsolved.  The  first  attempt 
of  note  to  answer  this  question  was  made  by  Descartes,  a 
Frenchman.  "This  philosopher  supposed  the  Sun  to  be 
immersed  in  a  vast  mass  of  fluid,  extending  indefinitely 
in  every  direction.  The  Sun,  by  its  rotation,  set  the 
parts  of  the  fluid  next  to  it  in  rotation  ;  these  communi- 
cated their  motions  to  the  parts  still  further  out,  and  so 
on,  until  the  whole  mass  was  set  in  rotation,  like  a 
whirlpool.  The  jDlanets  were  carried  around  in  this 
ethereal  M'hirlpool.  The  more  distant  planets  moved 
more  slowly  because  the  ether  was  less  affected  by  the 
rotation  of  the  Sun  the  more  distant  it  was  from  him. 
Tn  the  great  vortex  of  the  solar  sj'stem  were  smaller 
ones,  each  planet  being  the  centre  of  one;  and  thus  the 
satellites,  floating  in  the  ether,  were  carried  round  their 
primaries."  Such  was  the  celebrated  theory  of  vortices, 
which,  being  the  mere  figment  of  a  vivid  imagination, 
was  doomed  to  share  the  fate  of  that  of  Ptolemy, 

It  was  reserved  for  the  immortal  Newton  to  give  the 
true  explanation  of  the  force  and  law  by  which  the  great 
system  of  creation  is  upheld  and  kept  in  perpetual  mo- 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  603 

tion.     Tlie  bases  of  Newton's  discovery  were  these  three 
laws: 

1.  A  hodfj  once  set  in  motion,  and  afterward  acted  on 
hi/  no  force,  loill  move  fonvards  in  a  straight  line  and  with 
a  uniform  velocitij  forever. 

2.  If  a  moving  body  he  acted  on  hy  any  farce,  its  devia- 
tion from  the  motion  defined  in  the  first  law  icill  he  in  the 
direction  of  the  force,  and  proportional  to  it. 

3.  Action  and  reaction  are  equal,  and  in  opposite  direc- 
tions; that  is,  whenever  any  one  hody  exerts  a  force  on  a 
second  hody,  the  latter  exerts  a  similar  force  on  the  first,  only 
in  the  opposite  direction. 

Applying  these  laws  to  the  action  of  gravitation,  New- 
ton was  enabled  to  prove  that  the  motion  of  a  planet  in  its 
orbit  is  the  result  of  two  forces — one  the  original  forivard 
impulse,  which  gives  it  a  tendency  to  move  off  from  its  orbit 
in  a  straight  course,  and  which  is  called  the  "centrifugal 
force" — the  other  the  attraction  of  the  Sun,  v/hich  draws 
it  towards  its  own  body,  and  is  called  the  "centripedal 
force."  All  this  may  be  a  little  obscure  and  difficult  to 
some  readers,  but  we  shall  now  offer  a  simple  illustra- 
tion that  will  make  it  perfectly  plain  to  those  least 
familiar  with  such  subjects. 

It  has  been  found,  and  in  various  ways  proved,  that  if 
a  cannon  ball,  or  any  other  body,  be  dropped  from  some 
high  point,  and  left  to  descend  freely,  it  will  fall  by  the 
force  of  gravitation  through  a  distance  of  sixteen  feet  in 
the  first  second  of  time ;  three  times  that  distance,  or  forty- 
eight  feet,  in  the  next;  five  times,  or  eighty  feet,  in  the 
third  second;  and  so  on.  And  gravitation  being  instan- 
taneous in  its  action,  if  that  ball,  instead  of  being  dropped, 
be  shot  from  a  cannon,  in  a  horizontal  direction,  it  will 
draw  it  downwards  through  just  the  same  distances 
through  the  successive  seconds  of  its  flight,  as  when  sim- 

37 


604 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


ply  dropped.  In  the  annexed  figure,  A  B  represents  ;x 
portion  of  the  curved  surface  of  the  earth ;  J.  J9  is  a  hor- 
izontal or  level  line  from  the  point  A.  By  calculation  it 
is  found  that  the  curved  surface  of  the  earth  falls  below 
this  line  about  eight  inches  in  the  first  mile;  twenty-four 
inches  more  in  the  second  mile;  and  so  on.  In  five 
miles  the  fall  will  amount  to  sixteen  feet;  and  in  ten 
miles,  three  times  that  amount  more,  or  sixty-four  feet, 
and  so  on;  a  series  of  distances  which  agree  exactly 
with  that  of  a  falling  body. 

Now,  let  A  G  represent  a  lofty  mountain,  standing  on 
the  equator,  from  the  summit  of  which  a  cannon  ball  is 


AN  ARTIFICIAL  SATELLITE. 


fired  in  the  horizontal  direction  C  E.  The  greater  the 
velocity  with  which  the  ball  is  shot,  the  further  it  will 
go  before  it  is  brought  down  to  the  ground,  as  indicated 
by  the  curves  G  G  and  G  II.  Let  us  suppose  that  it  can 
be  fired  with  a  velocity  of  five  miles  per  second,  and  that 
it  meets  with  no  resistance  from  tlie  atmosphere.  Let  F 
mark  a  point  five  miles  from  G,  and  E  ten  miles  from 
the  same.  Now,  since  the  ball  occupies  one  second  of 
time  in  reaching  the  point  F,  it  follows,  from  the  law 
of  falling  bodies  just  stated,  that  it  will  have  dropped  six- 
teen  feet. below  F,  and  be  at  /.     But,  as  we  have  just 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  605 

seen,  the  earth  also  has  curved  away  just  sixteen  feet 
at  this  distance.  Hence  the  ball  is  no  nearer  to  the 
earth  than  when  it  began  its  flight.  At  the  end  of  the 
next  second,  the  ball  instead  of  being  at  E,  will  have 
fallen  forty-eight  feet  more,  or  sixty-four  feet  in  all,  and 
be  found  at  D.  But  here,  again,  the  earth  has  still  been 
rounding  ofif,  so  that  the  distance  from  D  to  Bib  likewise 
sixty-four  feet.  The  ball,  therefore,  at  the  end  of  two 
seconds  is  no  nearer  to  the  earth  than  when  it  left  the 
cannon's  mouth.  Advancing  still  from  D,  with  undimin- 
ished velocity,  it  will  be  found  just  at  the  same  distance 
from  the  earth's  surface  at  the  end  of  the  third,  fourth, 
fifth,  and  every  subsequent  second.  Thus  the  ball  will 
go  on  and  make  a  complete  circuit  around  the  earth,  com- 
ing back  to  the  point  (7,  to  pursue  the  same  round  again. 
The  time  of  its  revolution,  allowing  it  to  have  been  fired 
from  a  point  ten  miles  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  would 
be  one  hour,  twenty-three  minutes  and  thirteen  seconds. 
Thus  a  ball  projected  with  a  velocity  of  five  miles  per 
second,  and  meeting  with  no  resistance  from  the  atmos- 
phere, would  become  a  satellite  of  the  earth,  and,  like 
the  moon,  revolve  forever  around  it. 

If  the  velocity  of  such  a  ball  were  less  than  five  miles 
per  second,  the  earth's  attraction  would  overcome  its 
centrifugal  tendency,  and  soon  bring  it  to  the  ground.  If 
the  velocity  were  increased  to  six  miles  per  second,  or 
thereabout,  it  would  take  an  eccentric  course,  and  de- 
scribe a  long  ellipse  around  the  earth.  But  if  the  velocity 
reached  seven  miles  per  second,  or  went  beyond  that,  the 
centrifugal  force  would  be  too  powerful  for  the  earth's 
attraction,  the  ball  would  escape  from  its  grasp,  and  fly 
off*  into  space  never  to  return  again. 

Now,  the  action  of  the  earth's  gravitation  on  this  pro- 
,  jected  cannon  ball,  carrying  it  exactly  like  the  moon 


606  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

around  her,  is  a  correct  representation  of  the  Sun's  gravi- 
tation on  each  of  the  planets,  carrying  them  severally  in 
their  orbits  around  him.  As  the  ball  must  move  with 
a  certain  velocity  to  preserve  its  distance  from  the  earth, 
80  must  each  of  the  planets  move  with  a  velocity  pro- 
portionate to  the  attraction  exerted  by  the  Sun  upon  it 
to  keep  in  its  appointed  orbit  around  him.  If  the  veloc- 
ity or  centrifugal  force  of  a  planet  were  too  small  to 
balance  the  attraction  of  the  Sun,  it  would  be  continually 
drawn  inward  toward  him,  so  that  after  a  few  revolutions  at 
most,  in  the  form  of  a  spiral,  it  would  finally  fall  upon 
him.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  velocity  or  centrifugal 
tendency  were  too  great,  it  would  continue  to  revolve  at 
au  ever-increasing  distance  from  him,  until  it  would  even- 
tually forsake  its  authority  altogether.  This  is  a  matter 
susceptible  of  demonstration.  The  earth  now  travels  in 
her  orbit  with  a  mean  velocity  of  18.3  miles  per  second; 
if  this  were  increased  to  25.9  miles  per  second,  she  would 
free  herself  from  her  allegiance  to  the  Sun,  receding 
further  and  further  from  his  light  and  heat,  until  finally 
lost  in  the  cold  and  darkness  of  infinite  space.  The 
present  velocity  of  Jupiter  is  8  miles  per  second  ;  if  this 
were  increased  to  11.3  miles  per  second,  this  majestic  orb 
would  become  a  similar  wanderer  in  the  void  profound. 
And  so  of  the  rest.  No  planet  in  the  system  could  pre- 
serve its  present  orbit  with  any  different  velocity  from 
that  which  it  actually  has.  The  velocity  of  each  is 
exactly  adjusted  to  the  Sun's  gravitation  upon  it,  and 
that  gravitation  is  exactly  measured  by  its  distance  from 
him. 

But  more  even  than  all  this  was  required  to  set  the 
system  in  its  present  safe  and  harmonious  revolutions. 
Not  only  was  it  necessary  to  give  the  right  velocity  or 
forward  impulse  to  each  planet,  but  that  impulse  must  be 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  607; 

given  in  the  right  direction — one  and  only  one  direction 
would  answer.  If  the  cannon  ball,  which  we  have  sup- 
posed, had  been  firfed  at  an  angle  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
degrees  above  the  horizontal  line,  or  at  such  an  angle 
below  it,  it  is  obvious  that  its  flight  would  have  been  al- 
together different,  and  would  have  never  carried  it  once 
round  the  globe.  So  with  the  original  impulse  given  to 
the  planets.  A  thousand  different  rates  of  velocity,  and 
a  thousand  different  directions  for  the  impulse,  might 
have  been  adopted  from  what  actually  prevail ;  but  only 
one  velocity  and  only  one  direction  could  produce  the 
existing  orbits  of  the  system.  The  velocity  and  the 
direction  must  both  be  right.  If  the  velocity  had  been 
wrong,  no  direction  given  to  the  impulse  would  have 
cured  the  error;  or  if  the  direction  had  been  wrong,  no 
degree  of  velocity  would  have  rectified  the  obliquity. 
Thus  we  find  that,  in  the  celestial  machinery,  everything 
has  been  determined  by  exact  measurement  of  distance,* 
weight,  and  speed.  How  evident,  and  how  conclusive,, 
then,  the  inference,  that  all  is  the  work  of  a  Being  un- 
erring in  intelligence,  as  well  as  almighty  in  powerl 
''  Such  an  exquisite  structure  as  the  Solar  System,"  says 
the  profound  Maclaurin,  "  could  only  arise  from  the  con-^ 
trivance  and  powerful  influences  of  an  intelligent,  free, 
and  most  potent  agent." 

In  accordance  with  the  one  universal  law,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  Sun's  attraction  on  the  planets  decreases  in-- 
versely  as  the  squares  of  their  distances.  And  to  balance 
their  centrifugal  force  with  this  force  of  his  gravitation, 
the  velocities  decrease  in  the  same  manner.  In  other 
words,  the  nearer  a  planet  is  to  the  Sun,  the  greater  is 
its  velocity.  This,  for  the  whole  system,  will  be  best 
preserved,  and  best  understood,  by  placing  in  miles  the 
mean  distance  and  the  mean  velocity  of  the  principal 
planets  in  a  tabular  form,  such  as  the  following : 


608 


THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


Planets,                    |       Distances.        |         Velocity  per  sec. 

Mercury 

Venus   

The  Earth      .     .     .     .     • 

Mars 

The  Asteroids    .... 

Jupiter 

Saturn  

Uranus 

Neptune 

35,392,000 

66,134,000 

91,430,000 

139,311,000 

250,000,000 

475,692,000 

872,137,000 

1,753,869,000 

2,745,998,000 

29.3 

21.4 

18.3 

14.7 

11.0 

8.0 

5.9 

4.2 

3.3 

A  glance  at  the  above  table  will  suffice  to  show  that 
the  velocity  of  the  planets,  throughout  the  system,  uni- 
formly decreases  as  their  distance  increases.  Mercury, 
the  nearest  to  the  Sun,  travels  faster  than  Venus,  which 
is  further  off;  faster  yet  than  the  Earth,  which  is  still 
more  remote ;  twice  as  fast  as  Mars ;  five  times  as  fast  as 
Saturn;  seven  times  as  Uranus;  and  nine  times  as  Nep- 
tune. And  if  another  planet  should  be  discovered  beyond 
Neptune,  say  at  four  times  its  distance,  Mercury  would 
be  found  travelling  at  seventeen  times  its  rate.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  a  planet  were  placed,  or  should  bo  discov- 
ered at  one-half  the  distance  of  Mercury  from  the  Sun, 
moving  in  a  similar  orbit,  it  would  be  found  moving  with 
a  velocity  of  41  miles  per  second  ;  and  if  another  yet  at 
half  the  distance  of  the  latter,  it  would  be  advancing 
at  the  rate  of  58  miles  per  second ;  and  if  a  third  at  one- 
fourth  the  distance  of  the  last,  or  one-sixteenth  that  of 
Mercury,  it  would  be  found  flying  forward  with  the 
velocity  of  234  miles  per  second.  And,  lastly,  a  planet 
moving  in  a  circular  orbit  close  to  the  globe  of  the  Sun, 
as  we  have  supposed  the  cannon  ball  to  do  around  the 
earth,  would  sweep  onward  with  a  velocity  of  2G8  miles 
per  second,  or  964,800  miles  per  hour.  Universally, 
then,  the  nearer  the  planet  is  to  the  Sun  the  swifter  its 
flight ;  and  the  more  remote,  the  slower  is  its  motion. 


centre  of  gravitation.  609 

Teachings. 

The  system  of  creation,  in  its  structure  and  play,  as 
now  described,  is  one  of  tlie  most  elevating  and  instructive 
subjects  upon  which  the  human  mind  can  dwell.  While 
its  vast  magnitudes  and  overwhelming  velocities  fill  the 
soul  with  awe  and  wonder,  its  balanced  forces  and  meas- 
ured distances  and  harmonious  and  infallible  revolutions 
delight  the  reason  and  charm  the  imagination.  And  we 
withdraw  from  the  contemplation  with  a  conviction  as 
clear  and  powerful  that  the  whole  must  have  had  its 
origin  in  one  Omniscient  Mind,  as  that  the  watch  in  our 
hand,  with  its  moving  wheels  and  springs  and  dial-plate, 
must  have  been  the  product  of  a  designing  and  ingenious 
artificer. 

"  Though  no  real  voice  nor  sound 

Amid  these  radiant  orbs  be  found, 

In  reason's  ear  they  all  rejoice, 

And  utter  forth  a  glorious  voice, 

Forever  singing  as  they  shine, 
'  The  HAND  that  made  us  is  DIVINE.' " 

The  celestial  forces  and  revolutions  we  have  now  been 
contemplating  read  to  us  also  important  lessons  of  a  more 
practical  and  personal  bearing.  As  in  obedience  to  the 
law  of  gravitation,  the  nearer  a  planet's  orbit  is  to  the 
Sun,  the  swifter  its  motion  around  him ;  so,  in  virtue  of 
the  laic  of  love,  the  nearer  the  Christiaiis  path  to  the  Sun 
of  RujlUeousness,  the  greater  the  speed  and  deligld  with 
which  he  runs  in  it. 

The  distance  of  a  planet  from  the  Sun  affects  not 
simply  its  rate  of  motion  but  also  its  degree  of  light  and 
heat.  Mercurj',  which  is  so  much  nearer  to  the  Sun 
than  the  earth,  not  only  revolves  far  more  swiftly  around 
him,  but  also  enjoys  seven-fold  more  light  and  heat.  On 
the  other  hand,  Neptune,  which  is  so  much  more  remote, 
travels  far  more  slowly  than  the  earth,  and  receives  but 


610  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  one-thousandth  part  of  her  light  and  heat.  So  of  all 
the  other  planets  according  to  their  respective  distances. 
In  these  varied  positions  and  advantages  of  the  planetary 
globes,  then,  we  have  an  apt  representation  of  the  differ- 
ent grades  of  character  and  experience  found  in  the 
Christian  world. 

Among  those  professing  godliness  there  is  a  class  who 
live,  and  are  content  to  live,  at  such  a  distance  from  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  that  they  may  be  justly  compared 
to  those  globes  which  revolve  in  the  outer  orbits  of  the 
system.  Light  they  have,  but  it  is  very  dim  ;  and  some 
degree  of  the  warmth  of  love  they  know,  but  it  is  very 
faint;  and  some  motion  of  life  they  manifest,  but  it  is  very 
slow  and  feeble.  And  yet,  like  those  remote  and  lonely 
planets,  they  own  the  authority  of  the  great  Central  Sun. 
They  do  not  recede  from  him,  and  they  do  not  appear  to 
approach  him  ;  but  from  year  to  year  pursue  the  same  old 
path,  at  the  same  slow  rate.    Cold  and  cheerless  stars ! 

There  is  a  second  class  of  Christians,  who  may  be 
likened  to  the  planets  of  the  middle  orbits.  These  enjoy 
more  light  and  heat  than  the  former,  and  are  under  the 
dominion  of  a  more  powerful  degree  of  the  attraction  of 
love,  and  consequently  move  more  swiftly  and  vigorously 
in  the  path  of  duty.  They  know  and  realize  that  they 
have  been  redeemed  with  no  less  a  price  than  the  precious 
blood  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  and  his  surpassing  love  has 
begotten  love  in  return  in  their  own  hearts.  And  this 
love  makes  his  yoke  easy,  his  burden  light,  and  his 
service  a  pleasure.  Cheerfully  they  lay  aside  every 
weight,  and  every  sin  that  besets  them,  and  run  with 
patience  and  joy  the  race  that  is  set  before  them. 

And  there  is  a  third  class,  who  are  best  represented 
by  those  innermost  planets  of  the  system,  which  perpetu- 
ally bask  in  the  full  light  and  heat  of  the  solar  orb,  and 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  611 

wheel  their  courses  with  unequalled  speed  around  him. 
These  live  still  nearer  the  Fountain  of  life  and  glory. 
Their  communion  with  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  more 
abundant,  more  exalted,  and  more  complete.  Their  faith, 
and  love,  and  joy  are  more  vivid  and  ardent  and  strong. 
Like  the  bright  and  morning  star,  and  that  still  nearer 
orb,  which  forever  revolve*  in  the  effulgence  of  the  solar 
rays,  they  live  and  move  and  have  their  being  in  the 
light  of  the  Divine  countenance.  They  encompass  his 
throne  with  alacrity  and  delight.  The  supreme  occupa- 
tion of  life  with  them  is  to  commune  with  him  who 
dwells  between  the  cherubim.  Like  Moses,  they  talk 
with  their  blessed  Lord,  as  if  face  to  face.  Like  Paul, 
for  them  to  live  is  Christ.  And  like  John,  they  repose 
in  peace  on  the  bosom  of  infinite  and  eternal  Love. 

And  there  is  yet  a  fourth  class,  a  higlier  grade,  holier 
and  happier  even  than  the  last;  these  we  may  compare 
to  those  planetary  bodies  we  have  imagined  revolving  in 
close  proximity  to  the  globe  of  the  Sun,  and  encircling  it 
with  a  velocity  surpassing  all  thought  and  comprehension. 
We  speak  of  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect ;  the 
souls  that  have  been  caught  up  from  this  nether  sphere, 
and  made  like  unto  the  angels,  whose  holiness  and  hap- 
piness are  complete,  whose  minds  are  enkindled  with  one 
intense  and  eternal  flame  of  divine  love,  burning  with  a 
clear,  unceasing  and  perfect  ardency  and  splendor. — Such 
are  the  several  grades  or  classes  of  Christians,  who,  as 
spiritual  planets,  so  to  speak,  revolve  around  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness,  some  more  remote,  some  nearer,  and  some 
in  his  immediate  presence.  And  from  all  this  what  is 
the  lesson  we  are  to  gather?  Simply  this — The  nearer 
we  live  to  Christ,  the  more  delightful  his  service,  the 
more  rapid  our  progress,  and  the  more  complete  our 
happiness. 


612  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

To  the  above,  it  must  be  added  that,  not  our  happiness 
only,  but  our  safety  also  depends  upon  a  close  and  near 
walk  with  Christ.  The  nearer  to  the  Sun  a  planet  re- 
volves, the  stronger  is  the  grasp  of  his  gravitation  upon 
it,  and  the  firmer  it  is  held  in  its  path.  To  carry  Mer- 
cury away  from  its  orbit  and  from  its  allegiance  to  the 
Sun,  would  require  an  increase  of  12  miles  per  second  in 
its  centrifugal  flight  or  forward  motion ;  while  to  carry 
Jupiter  away,  at  thirteen  times  the  distance,  would  re- 
quire but  an  increase  of  3i  miles;  and  to  carry  Neptune, 
at  seventy-seven  times  the  distance,  only  an  increase  of 
1^  miles  per  second.  Thus,  the  further  from  the  Sun 
the  less  force  is  required  to  propel  a  planet  from  its  ap- 
pointed orbit.  So  with  the  Christian;  the  nearer  his 
path  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the  stronger  will  be 
the  attraction  of  his  love,  to  keep  him  in  the  right  and 
safe  way ;  but  the  further  he  walks  from  Him,  the  lesser 
the  force  of  temptation  that  will  suffice  to  carry  him 
astray. 

Finally,  this  subject  offers  an  impressive  illustration  of 
the  danger  of  yielding  to  any  influence  that  icUl  draio  us 
away  from  Christ.  If  a  planet  in  its  revolution  should 
be  encompassed  by  an  outside  zone  of  attraction  that  per- 
petually drew  it  away  from  the  Sun,  be  that  attraction 
ever  so  small  and  that  deviation  from  its  path  ever  so 
gradual,  it  would  result  inevitably  in  its  destruction.  For 
in  that  case,  the  form  of  its  orbit  would  be  changed  into 
an  expanding  spiral,  as  indicated  by  the  dotted  line  in 
the  foUowinsi;  fi2:ure,  so  that  at  each  successive  revolution 
it  would  be  found  further  and  further  from  the  Sun,  till 
at  length  it  would  reach  a  distance  from  which  nothing 
but  a  special  act  of  Omnipotence  would  ever  bring  it  back 
again  to  its  proper  orbit.  The  condition  of  the  Christian 
in  this  world  is  precisely  the  condition  of  such  a  planet. 


CENTRE  OF   GRAVITATION.  613 

Through  life  he  is  encompassed  with  an  attraction  whose 
tendency  is  to  draw  him  out  of  his  right  course  and  away 
from  the  Sun  of  his  soul,  and  that  is  (lie  attraction  of  the 
world,  of  its  riches  and  honors  and  pleasures.  But  there 
is  this  difference :  he  has  the  power  to  resist  this  attrac- 
tion ;  if  lie  is  drawn  aside  by  it,  it  will  be  with  his  own 
consent.  And  if  he  yields,  if  he  gives  himself  up  to 
worldly  influence,  how  sad  his  estate !  how  melancholy 
his  prospect !  Henceforth  his  career  will  be  that  of  the 
erratic  planet.     The  attraction  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 


I 


EURATXC  PLANET. 


ness  will  decline  and  lose  its  power  over  him,  while  that 
of  the  world  will  grow  more  and  more  controllin,2;.  He 
may  flatter  himself  that,  because  he  has  not  altogether 
lost  sight  of  that  Sun,  he  is  still  revolving  around  Him. 
But  he  is  steadily  departing  from  the  glorious  orb;  His 
beams  with  each  passing  day  are  growing  fainter  and 
feebler.  The  change  may  be  gradual,  but  it  is  certain. 
He  is  advancing  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  region  of  cold 
and  darkness  and  cheerlessness.  And  at  length  he  reaches 
a  depth,  though  his  soul  may  be  all  unconscious  of  the 
fact,  from  which  nothing  but  a  special,  marvellous,  yea, 
miraculous,  interposition  of  grace  can  save  him  from  be- 
coming a  wandering  star,  to  wliom  is  reserved  the  blackness 
of  darkness  forever.     Reader,  if  you  have  reason  to  sus- 


614  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

pect  that  your  own  course  has  now  been  described,  look 
again  at  the  above  silent  figure,  and  note  the  path 
therein  portrayed. — Is  it  not  your  own  ? 


ANALOGY  IV. 

As  the  Sim  of  Nature  guides  and  controls  his  ^^Zanetary  family,  not  by 
pressure  or  contact,  hut  by  the  subtle  influence  of  his  gravity  ;—so  the  Sun 
of  liiyhteousness  leads  and  governs  his  human  family,  not  by  force  or 
constraint,  but  by  the  attracting  influence  of  his  truth  and  love. 

Phenomena. 

Man  claims  the  honor  of  being  the  author  of  many 
great  and  wonderful  works, — of  having  contrived  and 
constructed  many  exquisite  machines,  of  having  set  in 
motion  engines  of  vast  power,  and  of  having  formed  ex- 
tensive combinations  to  effect  the  results  which  he  desires 
to  accomplish.  And  all  this  is  true.  But  it  should  never 
be  forgotten  that  in  all  these  he  has  simply  taken  ad- 
vantage of  materials  prepared  to  his  hand,  and  of  the 
varied  properties  with  which  those  materials  have  been 
endowed.  He  has  never  been  able  to  produce  any  new 
material,  nor  to  impart  to  that  which  exists  any  new 
quality,  nor  to  infuse  into  it  any  new  force.  He  has 
established  no  new  law  for  any  department  or  element 
of  nature,  nor  even  modified  the  action  of  any  of  the  old 
laws  which  he  has  found  in  operation.  He  can  impart 
to  no  substance  any  new  afiinity,  any  new  power  of  at- 
traction or  repulsion,  or  any  new  law  of  motion  or  expan- 
sion, lie  cannot,  with  all  his  chemistry,  form  a  drop  of 
water  in  any  other  manner  than  that  in  which  every  drop 
has  been  formed  since  it  began  to  rain  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth.     His  greatest  achievements,  whether  of  skill 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  615 

or  of  power,  have  been  made  simply  by  directing,  com- 
bining, or  opposing  forces  or  elements  that  have  been  in 
being  and  in  activity  since  the  world  began. 

Persevering  as  has  been  his  study,  surprising  as  has 
been  his  ingenuity,  and  wonderful  as  is  the  progress  he 
has  made  in  science  and  art,  man  can  make  no  higher 
claim  than  tills  to-day.  He  travels  over  the  land  and 
sails  over  the  ocean,  he  ascends  into  the  skies  and  dives 
into  the  deep,  but  all  this  he  accomplishes  by  means  of 
forces  operating  according  to  laws  established  with  the 
creation  of  matter.  He  constructs  his  telescope,  his  micro- 
scope and  his  spectroscope,  and  discovers  new  worlds  of 
wonder  both  above  and  below,  but  these  instruments 
avail  him  only  in  virtue  of  the  laws  of  reflection  and  re- 
fraction to  which  the  ethereal  element  of  light  has  been 
made  subject.  He  contrives  instruments  of  music,  his 
harp  and  organ  and  lute,  but  all  the  pleasing  harmony 
of  sounds  they  produce  is  due  to  the  elastic  and  vibratory 
constitution  given  to  the  atmosphere ;  but  for  this,  they 
would  be  charmless  as  the  icicle  and  mute  as  the  rock. 
His  inventions  and  productions  all,  then,  are  simply  means 
to  take  advantage  of  what  has  been  so  munificently  pro- 
vided and  so  wisely  arranged  for  his  benefit  long  before 
he  came  into  being. 

Very  different,  therefore,  from  all  that  man  has  accom- 
plished, or  ever  can  accomplish,  must  be  our  conceptions 
of  the  works  of  the  Divine  Architect.  He  is  not  only 
the  contriver  and  maker  of  an  infinite  variety  of  machin- 
ery on  the  earth  and  in  the  heavens,  but  also  the  Creator 
of  the  materials  which  compose  them,  and  the  Originator 
of  the  forces  that  actuate  them.  And  He  not  merely 
caused  these  materials  to  come  individually  into  being, 
but  also  endowed  them  with  the  properties  and  qualities 
by  which  they  are  fitted  for  their  several  uses.     He  is 


616  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

the  Author  of  all  their  attractions,  repulsions,  and  affini- 
ties— of  all  the  laws  of  their  chemical,  physical,  and 
mechanical  action.  He  borrowed  nothing.  And  this 
places  the  works  of  the  Deity  far  and  forever  beyond 
any  analogy  or  comparison  to  human  productions. 

And  then,  the  excellency  and  perfection  of  the  Creator's 
works.  Well  might  the  inspired  writer  have  exclaimed, 
"  0  Lord,  there  are  no  works  like  unto  thy  works."  "We 
have  spoken  of  the  planetary  system  as  the  Celestial 
Machinery — but  it  is  machinery  totally  different  from 
anything  that  the  hands  of  man  have  ever  produced.  As 
I  have  elsewhere  stated,  "  the  planetary  mechanics  are 
of  such  exquisite  perfection,  and  their  parts  move  and 
act  upon  one  another  upon  principles  that  render  them 
wholly  dissimilar  from  every  contrivance  and  fabrication 
of  man.  In  our  machinery  everything  goes  on  by  con- 
tact and  impulse ;  pressure  and  force  by  cogs,  rods,  belts, 
water,  wind,  steam,  etc.,  are  the  means  by  which  motion 
is  transferred  to  and  from  every  wheel,  lever,  and  spring. 
But  in  the  machinery  of  the  heavens  we  discover  nothing 
of  all  this.  Here  we  behold  spheres,  enormous  spheres 
in  free  and  boundless  space,  without  any  material  or 
visible  connection,  separated  by  spaces  which  can  only 
be  estimated  by  millions  of  miles,  yet  affecting  one  an- 
other powerfully,  constantly,  and  infallibly.  Here  are 
worlds  on  w^orlds  of  every  magnitude,  and  placed  at 
every  distance — planets  and  rings  and  satellites — all  in 
ceaseless  rotation,  and  all  careering  through  the  trackless 
void  with  velocities  appalling  to  contemplate,  without 
any  visible  power  or  agency  to  produce  their  motions,  or 
to  guide  them  in  their  appointed  and  mighty  circuits ; 
yet  every  one  completing  its  daily  rotation,  and  accom- 
plishing its  annual  round  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  miles, 
without  deviating  the  fraction  of  a  minute  from  age  to 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  617 

age,  and  from  century  to  century.  Here  is  mechanism, 
indeed,  the  most  subhme !  Here  is  mechanism  worthy 
the  Divine  Architect!"* 

And  what  are  the  bonds  of  connection  which  hold  in 
unity  this  vast  and  magnificent  system  ?  and  what  the 
motive  power  that  keeps  it  in  ceaseless  and  harmonious 
revolution  ?  Here  are  no  beams  of  timber,  no  bars  of 
steel,  or  chains  of  iron.  Here  is  no  pressure  of  wind  or 
water,  of  expanding  steam  or  gas.  What  then  unites 
and  moves  the  whole  ?  The  simple  but  subtle  power  of 
the  great  central  orb — the  Suns  gravitation.  This  it  is 
that  holds  all,  impels  all,  guides  all,  as  no  material  bond 
or  power  could.  Under  the  controlling  influence  of  this 
mysterious  agency,  not  a  globe,  great  or  small,  deviates 
or  falters  in  its  path — not  a  wheel  jars  or  creaks  in  the 
system — not  a  sound  disturbs  the  deep  and  solemn  qui- 
etude of  the  midnight  sky.  Smoothly,  silently,  and 
harmoniously,  every  planet  performs  its  mighty  and  sub- 
lime revolutions.  And  who  that  rightly  considers  all 
this,  but  must  feel  his  soul  inspired  to  exclaim  with  the 
devout  Psalmist,  "  The  works  of  the  Lord  are  great, 
sought  out  of  all  them  that  have  pleasure  therein.  His 
works  are  honorable  and  glorious.  They  stand  fast  for- 
ever and  ever." 

Teachings. 

As  the  Sun  of  nature  thus  guides  and  controls  his 
planetary  family,  not  by  pressure  or  contact,  but  by  the 
attracting  influence  of  his  gravity, — so  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness leads  and  governs  his  human  family,  not  hy  force 
or  constraint,  hut  hy  the  loinning  influence  of  his  truth  and 
love,  as  revealed  in  his  Gospel.  His  reign  is  a  spiritual 
reign,  and  the  allegiance  he  requires  and  seeks  is  the 
allegiance  of  the  soul. 

*  Science  and  the  Bible,  p.  318. 


618  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

Man  is  a  free  moral  agent,  endowed  with  reason,  con- 
science, and  self  determining  will ;  and  his  Divine  Lord 
deals  with  him  as  such.  The  government  he  exercises 
over  him  is  a  moral  government,  carried  on  by  the  ap- 
peals of  truth  to  his  reason,  of  right  and  wrong  to  his 
conscience,  and  of  motives  to  his  will.  His  rule  is  a 
spiritual  rule  over  the  mind  and  heart.  Force  or  con- 
straint is  foreign  to  the  nature  of  his  kingdom,  and 
unfitted  to  secure  the  service  which  he  requires  and 
accepts.  Pains  and  penalties,  stripes  and  imprisonments, 
never  made  one  soul  loyal  to  his  authority,  or  added  one 
sincere  worshipper  to  the  number  of  his  followers.  And 
these  are  means  he  never  appointed,  never  sanctioned. 
Constrained  or  forced  service  is  to  him  service  of  no  value. 
The  obedience  which  he  requires  is  willing  and  cheerful 
obedience,  and  the  homage  which  he  receives  is  the 
voluntary,  grateful  and  loving  homage  of  the  soul. 

And  this  is  what  man  owes  to  his  Maker;  this  is  his 
reasonable  duty.  Nevertheless,  he  is  left  at  liberty  to  do 
as  he  will,  either  to  yield  or  to  withhold  this  obedience 
and  homage.  He  is  left  free  to  choose  his  own  course. 
His  will  is  free  from  all  restraint,  hindrance,  or  control 
— as  free  as  we  can  conceive  it  to  be — as  free  as  God 
himself  can  make  it.  The  proof  of  this  lies  in  every 
man's  consciousness,  and  lies  so  deep  that  it  never  has 
been  and  never  can  be  effaced.  Even  the  Stoics,  the 
champions  of  fate,  strenuously  asserted  the  liberty  of  the 
will.*  And  Descartes,  in  the  very  passage  in  which  he 
asserts  that  God  is  the  cause  of  all  our  actions,  appeals 
to  the  evidence  of  consciousness  for  the  freedom  of  the 
will,  f  Man  is  ever  conscious  and  knows  that  he  chooses, 
rejects,  and  resolves  freely.     He  is  conscious  and  knows 

*  Enchiridion  of  Epictelus,  the  opening  seatences. 
t  Cartcsii  Epistolw,  Will.,  IX.,  Pars  1. 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  619 

that  he  lias  the  power  of  self-determination ;  that  his 
will  is  not  forced,  or  compelled,  or  controlled  by  any 
power  or  agency  from  without  himself;  that  it  is  under 
no  irresistible  law  or  influence,  either  for  good  or  evil ; 
but  is  constituted  and  conditioned  to  choose  or  refuse 
freely  and  as  it  pleases.  It  is  this  fact  that  makes  him, 
and  justly  makes  him,  an  accountable  being. 

If  the  acts  of  man  were  at  any  time,  or  in  any  case, 
involuntary,  or  compulsory,  and  not  the  effect  of  his  own 
determination  and  free  choice,  he  would  be  so  ftir  alike 
blameless  and  meritless.  But  no  act  of  man  is  of  this 
negative  or  neutral  character ;  on  the  contrary,  for 
every  idle  word  and  secret  thought  he  shall  give  an 
account  to  God.  What  the  soul  is  and  does,  it  chooses 
to  be  and  do ;  and  is,  therefore,  ever  accountable  for  what 
it  is  and  does.  Hence,  it  is  the  freedom  of  the  will  that 
constitutes  man  a  proper  subject  of  praise  or  blame,  of 
reward  or  punishment,  and  makes  morality  and  religion 
possible.  Without  freedom  of  will  moral  obligation  could 
not  exist,  and  religious  obedience  and  devotion  could 
have  no  place. 

The  freedom  of  the  will,  then,  is  an  unquestionable 
fact.  It  is  admitted  by  common  consent.  It  is  recog- 
nized in  the  forms  of  speech,  in  the  religious  faith,  in  the 
judicial  administrations,  in  the  established  practices,  and 
in  the  daily  intercourse,  of  all  mankind;  nor  does  any 
rational  being  ever  lose  the  consciousness  of  it. 

Accordingly,  the  only  means  which  Christ  employs 
to  reclaim,  to  lead,  to  govern,  and  to  save  men,  are  moral 
means,  appeals  to  the  reason,  to  the  conscience  and  to  the 
heart.  And  the  command,  the  simple  and  onl^-  command 
that  comes  with  all  these  is,  "  Choose  ye  now  whom  ye 
will  serve."  The  service  of  God,  or  religion,  therefore, 
is  as  completely  an  object  of  choice  as  anything  else.     If 

38 


620  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

a  man  becomes  religious,  or  a  Christian,  it  is  because  he 
chooses  to  become  such ;  and  if  he  remains  irreligious,  or 
not  a  Christian,  it  is  because  he  chooses  to  remain  so. 
This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Gospel ;  it  underlies  all  the 
invitations  and  promises  of  the  Gospel ;  it  is  involved  in 
all  the  terms  on  which  salvation  is  offered  in  the  Gospel; 
and  it  is  assumed  in  the  whole  system  of  means  and 
motives  presented  in  the  Gospel. 

Religion,  as  embracing  both  faith  and  practice,  is  a 
matter  of  choice  from  first  to  last.  It  is  obviously  a 
matter  of  choice  with  a  man  whether  he  will  read  the 
Scriptures  with  care  and  candor,  or  leave  the  holy  Book 
unopened,  indifferent  and  unconcerned  as  to  what  it  may 
teach  or  contain.  It  is  a  matter  of  choice  in  no  trivial 
sense,  whether  he  assents  to  the  Divine  authority  of  the 
Sacred  Volume,  or  rejects  it.  Belief  here  is  not  an  invol- 
untary, and,  therefore,  an  irresponsible  act.  "The  state 
of  mind  which  constitutes  belief  is,  indeed,  one  over 
which  the  will  has  no  direct  power.  But  belief  depends 
upon  evidence;  the  result  of  even  the  best  evidence  is 
entirely  dependent  on  attention;  and  attention  is  a  vol- 
untary intellectual  state  over  which  we  have  a  direct  and 
absolute  control.  As  it  is,  therefore,  by  prolonged  and 
continued  attention  that  evidence  produces  belief,  a  man 
may  incur  the  deepest  guilt  by  his  disbelief  of  truths 
which  he  has  failed  to  examine  with  the  care  which  is 
due  to  them."*  The  power  of  evidence  to  produce  con- 
viction or  belief  depends  also  upon  the  candor  with  which 
it  is  weighed.  Two  men  of  equal  intelligence,  of  equal 
mental  penetration,  clearness,  and  grasp,  may  read  the 
Bible  and  come  to  very  different  conclusions.  One 
chooses  to  examine  it  in  a  teachable  and  humble  spirit, 
desirous  of  knowing  the  truth,  whatever  it  may  prove  to 

*  Abercrombie's  Moral  Feelings,  p.  182. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  621 

be;  and  he  seriously  and  impartially  weighs  the  evi- 
dences that  come  before  him;  and  as  he  does  so,  these 
evidences  insensibly  grow  in  force  and  clearness  to 
his  mind,  till  he  feels  them  to  amount  to  a  conclusive 
proof  that  the  Book  is  the  product  of  inspiration.  The 
other  chooses  to  investigate  it  in  a  different  and  opposite 
spirit;  his  mind  is  under  the  dominion  of  a  certain  set 
of  preconceived  notions,  which  he  holds  as  the  standard 
of  truth  and  right;  and  whatever  he  finds  to  conflict  with 
these  he  rejects,  and  hence  soon  decides  against  the 
Bible's  claims  to  inspiration.  The  act  in  either  case  is 
perfect!}''  voluntary. 

There  is  the  same  exercise  of  free  will  in  the  saving 
act  of  accepting  and  embracing  Christ  as  our  personal 
Saviour.  Previous  to  this  act,  the  world  with  its  inter- 
ests and  pleasures  stands  in  competition  with  Christ  and 
his  salvation.  During  this  period,  the  world  has  the 
sinner's  preference;  his  choice  is  intensely  set  upon  it; 
it  has  the  foremost  place  in  his  thoughts,  and  occupies 
the  whole  field  of  his  vision.  Meanwhile  Christ  has  for 
him  neither  glory  nor  attraction;  he  discerns  not  the 
excellency  of  his  character,  nor  the  importance  of  the 
blessing  of  his  salvation;  that  salvation  for  aught  he 
knows  may  be  something  very  good  for  others,  but  he 
feels  no  interest  in  it,  and  no  desire  for  it.  But  under 
the  gracious  influence  of  the  Spirit  his  views  change;  the 
world  sinks,  dwindles  to  utter  insignificance,  while  Christ 
so  increases  in  interest,  importance,  and  loveliness  in  his 
estimation,  that  with  all  the  earnestness  of  his  being  iie 
now  chooses  him  as  the  supreme  portion  of  his  soul. 
And  in  making  this  choice  he  is  perfectly  free;  the  Di- 
vine Spirit  in  nowise  interferes  with  the  freedom  of  his 
will ;  he  employs  no  force  or  constraint,  bestows  no  new 
faculty,  reveals  no  new  truths,  presents  no  new  evidence. 


622  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

What,  then,  is  the  office  of  the  Spirit  in  the  conversion 
of  the  soul?  The  Spirit  simply  disposes  and  leads  the 
mind  to  an  honest  and  serious  consideration  of  truths 
already  made  known,  namely,  the  corruption  of  his  heart, 
the  sinfulness  of  his  life,  the  justice  of  his  condemnation, 
the  peril  of  his  soul,  his  need  of  a  Saviour,  and  the  suita- 
bleness and  loveliness  of  the  One  revealed  and  offered  in 
the  Gospel.  The  Spirit  employs  no  power,  no  influence, 
save  that  of  truth  and  love.  No  man  is  constrained 
against  his  will  to  become  a  Christian ;  if  he  does  become 
a  Christian,  it  is  by  the  most  free  choice  of  his  own  soul. 
Every  one  who  has  become  a  Christian  is  conscious  of 
being  as  voluntary  in  embracing  Christ  and  in  commit- 
ting his  soul  into  his  hands,  as  in  any  other  act  of  his 
life.  And  one  proof  of  it  among  many  is,  that  he  con- 
demns himself  for  not  having  done  this  act  long  before. 

To  all  this  it  may  be  added,  that  the  Christian  exer- 
cises the  same  freedom  of  choice  in  all  his  subsequent 
acts  and  habits — in  reading  and  meditating  on  the  word 
of  God,  in  his  prayers,  in  his  social  intercourse,  in  his 
attendance  on  the  ordinances  of  grace,  in  his  improve- 
ment of  the  dispensations  of  providence;  in  everything, 
in  short,  that  enters  into  his  progress  in  the  divine  life. 
As  the  planets  move  freely  through  the  voids  of  space, 
guided  simply  by  the  attraction  of  the  Sun  of  nature,  so 
the  Christian  moves  freely  in  his  course  through  life,  in- 
fluenced and  governed  simply  by  the  attractive  power  of 
the  truth  and  love  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  623 

ANALOGY  V. 

As  the  force  of  gravitation,  which  rules  in  the  system  of  nature,  is  so  evenly 
and  finely  balanced,  that  any  change  in  the  mass  or  distance  of  one  of 
the  planets  would  be  felt  at  the  centre  of  the  Sun; — so  the  love,  which 
reigns  in  the  spiritual  system,  is  so  delicate  and  infallible,  that  what- 
ever affects  tJie  condition  or  interest  of  one  member  is  felt  at  the  heart  of 
the  Sun  of  Itighteous7iess. 

Phenomena. 

The  successive  steps  by  which  the  immortal  Newton 
was  led  to  the  discovery  and  demonstration  of  the  uni- 
versal law  of  gravity  compose  a  narrative  of  extreme 
interest.  His  first  calculations  to  determine  it,  owing  to 
an  error  in  the  commonly  received  estimate  of  the  earth's 
dimensions,  did  not  prove  satisfactory,  and  were  there- 
fore laid  aside.  Some  few  years  later,  when  the  radius  of 
the  globe  had  been  more  accurately  determined,  he  un- 
dertook the  revision  of  his  former  computations.  And  it 
is  related  that  towards  the  close  of  his  work,  when  it 
began  to  dawn  upon  his  mind  that  his  calculations  were 
going  to  verify  his  long  cherished  theory — when  he  felt 
that  he  was  on  the  eve  of  discovering  the  most  sublime 
and  important  law  ever  contemplated  by  the  human 
mind — he  was  so  overpowered  by  nervous  agitation  at 
the  anticipated  result,  that  he  could  not  go  on  and 
finish  his  task.  In  this  state  of  mind  he  was  obliged  to 
call  in  the  aid  of  a  friend;  and  while  the  few  last  arith- 
metical operations  were  being  concluded,  he  paced  his 
room  in  trembling  expectation  of  their  announcement. 
In  this  supreme  moment,  he  doubtless  perceived  that  his 
hand  was  upon  the  key  that  would  explain  the  connec- 
tions and  relations  of  the  whole  svstem  of  nature,  and 
his  clear  and  energetic  intellect  already  began  to  sweep 
forward  to  the  most  far-reaching  and  comprehensive 
generalizations.     Nor  was    he    over-hasty — the   calcula- 


624  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

tions  SO  came  out  as  to  establish  forever  the  great  and 
universal  Law  of  Gravity. 

Glorious  achievement !  Through  it  Newton  caught  at 
once,  what  human  ear  had  never  caught  before,  the  true 
"  music  of  the  spheres  ;  "  the  strains  as  yet,  indeed,  were 
soft  and  low,  but  clearly  promising  of  ineffable  melodies 
soon  to  be  more  distinctly  heard.  It  was  to  him  as  the 
shell  of  which  speaks  the  Arabian  Maid,  in  Gebir : 

"  Apply  its  polished  lips  to  your  attentive  ear, 
And  it  remembers  its  august  abodes, 
And  murmurs  as  the  Ocean  murmured  there." 

Guided  by  this  law,  its  illustrious  discoverer,  by  chains 
of  reasoning  as  brilliant  as  profound,  was  rapidly  con- 
ducted to  a  series  of  most  interesting  and  important 
conclusions.  By  means  of  it  he  was  enabled  to  determine 
the  varying  curves  described  by  all  the  bodies  of  the 
solar  system  ;  the  action  of  sphere  on  sphere  ;  the  gravi- 
tation of  the  Sun  on  the  planets,  and  of  the  planets  on 
their  satellites ;  the  respective  densities  of  the  Sun,  of 
the  earth  and  the  other  planets;  the  centrifugal  force 
which  combines  with  the  centripetal  to  preserve  the 
balance  of  motion  round  the  centre ;  the  varying  weight 
of  bodies  at  the  poles  and  at  the  equator ;  the  true  theory 
of  the  tides ;  the  explanation  of  the  inequalities  of  the 
moon's  motion  ;  the  precession  of  the  equinoctial  through 
the  circuit  of  the  heavens ;  the  orbits  and  motions  of 
comets,  etc.  In  the  study  of  these  and  kindred  subjects, 
Newton  was  followed  by  a  succession  of  distinguished 
mathematicians,  foremost  among  whom  were  Halley, 
Clairaut,  D'Alembert,  Euler,  Lagrange  and  La  Place — 
all  men  of  the  most  exalted  2:enius,  and  who  wrouojht 
out  the  law  of  gravitation  to  its  mightiest  and  minutest 
results. 

Among  the  most  marvellous  triumphs  of  science  in  the 


CENTRE  OF   GRAVITATION.  625 

application  of  the  Law  of  Gravity  may  be  reckoned  the 
weighing  of  the  planetary  globes.  Incredible  as  it  may 
seem  to  some,  the  astronomer  is  able  to  employ  Gravita- 
tion as  a  balance,  in  which  he  can  poise  planet  against 
planet,  and  planet  against  the  Sun,  and  determine  their 
relative  weights  with  as  much  ease  and  exactness  as  the 
engineer  can  compute  the  number  of  tons  in  the  granite 
monument  of  Bunker  Hill,  or  in  the  iron  cannon  planted 
on  the  walls  of  Fortress  Monroe.  And  as  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  those  not  versed  in  such  matters,  I  will  briefly 
and  in  general  terms  state  the  process  by  which  this  has 
been  accomplished. 

The  first  step  in  the  operation  was  to  determine  the 
density  and  the  weight  of  the  globe  upon  which  we  live. 
This  was  computed  in  several  ways.  1.  By  comparing 
the  attractive  force  of  a  large  metallic  ball,  of  known  size 
and  density,  with  that  of  the  earth.  2.  By  finding  how 
much  a  large  mountain  will  deflect  a  plumb-line,  or  draw 
it  toward  itself  from  the  perpendicular.  3.  By  deter- 
mining the  rate  of  vibration  of  the  same  pendulum  on  the 
top  q,nd  at  the  bottom  of  a  mountain,  or  at  the  bottom  of 
a  mine  and  at  the  earth's  surface.  The  average  result 
of  all  these  determinations  gives  the  earth  a  density  of 
5.46 ;  that  is,  the  whole  globe  of  the  earth  as  it  exists  is 
5.46  times  the  weight  of  a  globe  of  water  of  the  same 
dimensions ;  or  in  round  numbers,  6,000,000,000,000,- 
000,000,000  tons. 

Now  it  will  be  remembered  that,  in  Analogy  III.,  of 
this  Part,  we  saw  that  the  earth,  at  the  distance  of  4,000 
miles  from  its  centre,  will  draw  the  flying  cannon  ball 
downward  16  feet  in  one  second  of  time;  and  by  a  simple 
calculation  it  is  found  that  the  Sun,  in  a  similar  manner, 
draws  the  earth  in  its  flight  inward  .0099  feet  in  a  sec- 
ond of  time.     Hence,  knowing  the  earth's  weight,  and 


626 


THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


her  distance  from  the  Sun,  and  that  his  gravitation 
diminishes  inversely  as  the  square  of  the  distance,  by 
two  other  steps  of  easy  proportional  computation  we 
ascertain  what  his  actual  mass  or  weight  must  be  to 
exert  this  attractive  force  on  our  globe;  and  this  is  found 
to  be  311,281  times  that  of  the  earth.  This  may  serve 
to  convey  to  the  reader  a  general  idea  of  the  process  by 
which  the  masses  or  weights  of  the  planetary  globes  have 
been  determined.  To  enter  upon  the  details  of  such 
calculations  in  relation  to  the  other  planets  and  their 
satellites  would  carry  us  altogether  beyond  the  limits  and 
beside  the  object  of  the  present  work.  We  may,  however, 
subjoin  the  following  recently  corrected  table,  showing  the 
relative  volume,  mass,  and  density  of  the  Sun  and  of  the 
principal  planets,  the  Earth's  being  represented  by  1. 


Name.          |             Volume. 

Mass. 

Density. 

Tho  Rnn  .  . 

l,245,12t).00 

311,281.00 

.25 

Mercury 

.05 

.07 

1.24 

Venus    . 

.85 

.79 

.92 

Earth.  . 

1.00 

1.00 

1.00 

Mars   .  . 

.14 

.12 

.96 

Jupiter. 

1,387.43 

300.00 

.22 

Saturn  . 

746.89 

90.00 

.12 

Uranus. 

7i.'.36 

13.00 

.18. 

Neptune 

98.66 

17.00 

.17 

We  are  now  prepared  to  contemplate  the  main  point 
in  the  first  member  of  our  Analogy,  namely,  the  gravita- 
ting relation  and  connection  of  the  Sun  with  each  of  the 
glob(\s  composing  his  great  system.  From  the  above 
table,  the  reader  will  not  fail  to  observe  the  overwhelming 
superiority  of  this  vast  orb,  both  in  mass  and  magnitude, 
over  the  largest  member  of  his  family, — that,  stupendous 
as  some  of  them  are,  he  stands  in  the  midst  of  them  as  a 
giant  among  pigmies. 

Now,  as  the  fundamental  fact  in  the  law  of  gravitation 
is,  that  every  body  of  matter  attracts  every  other  body 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  627 

with  a  force  proportionate  to  its  mass  or  weight,  it  follows 
of  course  that,  while  the  Sun  attracts  every  planet  in  the 
system,  every  planet  in  the  system,  in  like  manner,  at- 
tracts the  Sun  with  a  force  in  proportion  to  its  mass ;  and 
that  while  the  Sun  compels  each  planet  to  describe  a 
circle  around  him,  each  planet  compels  the  centre  of  the 
Sun  to  describe  a  similar  circuit,  but  smaller  in  propor- 
tion as  its  mass  is  smaller  than  that  of  the  Sun. 

To  make  this  perfectly  plain  we  must  refer  to  the 
annexed  figure,  in  which  the  circle  NWSE  represents 
the  globe  of  the  Sun,  and  P,  that  of  a  planet.  To  sim- 
plify our  explanation,  we  will  suppose  that  the  Sun  is  the 
only  globe  of  matter  in  existence,  and  that  presently,  at 


MOTION  OF  THE   SUN'S   CENTKE. 


a  given  moment,  the  first  planet  is  created,  and  placed 
at  P.  The  instant  this  planet  comes  into  being,  it  at- 
tracts the  Sun  towards  it,  drawing  its  centre  as  from  o  to 
a.  As  this  planet  advances  in  its  orbit  it  exerts  the 
same  attractive  force  all  along,  so  that  when  it  comes  to 
pull  in  the  direction  of  N,  the  solar  centre  will  be  at  h ; 
when  in  the  direction  of  W,  it  will  be  at  c  ;  and  when  in 
the  direction  of  S,  it  will  be  at  d  ;  and  so  on  till  it  arrives 
again  at  a.  Thus  in  obedience  to  the  attracting  influ- 
ence of  this  planet  during  its  revolution,  the  central  point 
of  the  Sun  describes  a  complete  round,  as  indicated  by 
the  small  dotted  circle,  abed. 


628  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

It  is  obvious  hence,  that  no  change  in  a  planet's  posi- 
tion in  its  orbit  can  take  place  without  its  producing  an 
effect  at  the  centre  of  the  Sun — every  league  of  its  pro- 
gress changes  the  position  of  that  centre. 

Nor  could  any  change  in  its  mass  or  weight  take  place 
without  its  being  felt  in  like  manner.  If  the  mass  should 
be  augmented,  or  if  it  should  be  diminished,  the  measure 
of  its  attraction  on  the  solar  globe  would  be  augmented 
or  diminished  in  the  same  direct  proportion. 

Nor,  once  more,  could  any  change  in  its  distance  take 
place  without  producing  a  similar  effect.  If,  for  example, 
the  distance  should  be  reduced  by  one-half,  its  attraction 
on  the  Sun  would  be  increased  fourfold;  or,  if  it  should  be 
removed  to  twice  the  distance,  it  would  be  diminished  to 
one-fourth;  and  so  in  the  same  inverse  proportion  for  all 
other  distances. 

Now,  what  is  true  of  this  single  planet  is  true  in  all 
these  respects  of  every  one  of  the  planets  composing  the 
system  as  it  exists.  No  change  in  the  position,  mass,  or 
distance  of  one  of  them  could  take  place  without  its 
being  felt  at  the  centre  of  the  Sun.  Not  one  of  them  can 
advance  for  an  hour  in  its  orbit,  not  one  of  them  could 
be  robbed  of  a  ton  of  its  weight,  not  one  of  them  could  be 
shifted  a  mile  in  its  distance,  but  the  occurrence  would 
tell  at  the  centre  of  the  great  globe.  Yea,  so  unerringly 
is  the  balance  of  gravitation  sustained,  that  it  is  no  exag- 
geration to  say,  that  if  a  man  should  lift  a  hammer  and 
smite  the  rock  before  him,  the  blow  would  so  disturb  this 
delicate  mystery  as  to  be  felt  at  the  heart  of  the  great 
solar  orb,  and  even  at  the  heart  of  every  member  of  his 
great  family  of  worlds. 

Teachings. 

As  the  force  of  gravitation,  which  rules  in  the  system 
of  nature,  is  thus  so  evenly  and  finely  balanced,  that  any 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  629 

change  in  the  position,  mass,  or  distance  of  one  of  the 
planets  would  be  felt  at  the  centre  of  the  Sun, — so  the 
Divine  love,  which  reigns  in  ilie  spiritual  system,  is  so  deli- 
cate and  infallible  that  whatever  affects  the  condition  or 
interest  of  one  member  is  felt  at  the  heart  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 

Admirably  sensitive  and  delicate  as  is  the  principle 
of  gravitation,  infinitely  more  so  is  the  Saviour's  love. 
Nothing  can  exceed,  nothing  can  equal  the  affection, 
sympathy,  and  tenderness  of  Christ  for  his  followers. 
No  relation  can  be  closer  or  more  endearing  than  that  he 
condescends  to  bear  to  his  true  disciples.  He  regards 
them  as  his  chosen  friends:  "Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do 
whatsoever  I  command  you."  But  dear  as  is  the  name 
of  friend,  he  assumes  a  dearer  still:  "And  he  stretched 
forth  his  hand  toward  his  disciples,  and  said.  Behold  my 
mother  and  my  brethren !  For  whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my 
BROTHER,  and  SISTER,  and  mother."  Every  member  of 
his  spiritaal  kingdom  stands  in  living  connection  with 
him — a  connection  so  real  and  so  vital  as  that  of  the 
head  to  the  members  of  the  body:  "For  he  is  the  head 
over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  his  body."  And 
more  than  even  all  this,  such  is  his  benignity,  such  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  his  grace  and  love,  that  he  takes 
them  into  a  divine  union  with  himself:  "I  pray  for  them, 
that  they  all  may  be  one:  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and 
I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us;  that  the 
world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me.  And  the 
glory  which  thou  gavest  me,  I  have  given  them,  that 
they  may  be  one  even  as  we  are  one;  I  in  them,  and  thou 
in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one.  I  have 
declared  unto  them  thy  name,  that  the  love  wherewith 
thou  hast  loved  me  may  be   in  them,  and  I  in  tiiem." 


630  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

"God  is  love;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in 
God,  and  God  in  him." 

Such  being  the  close  and  endearing  relation  of  Christ 
to  his  followers,  how  obvious  and  how  certain  that  what- 
ever affects  their  interests,  or  condition,  for  evil  or  for 
good,  must  also  affect  his  loving  heart.  As  the  brain  is 
connected  with  every  member  of  the  body,  so  his  Divine 
Sensorium  stands  connected  as  by  living  nerves  of  sensa- 
tion and  sympathy  with  his  every  true  disciple.  They 
receive  not  a  benefit,  they  enjoy  not  a  blessing,  but  "he 
rejoices  in  his  love  over  them,"  They  suffer  not  a  pang, 
they  shed  not  a  tear,  they  heave  not  a  sigh,  but  it 
awakens  its  response  of  sympathy  in  his  bosom:  "he  is 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  their  infirmity." 

Are  they  oppressed,  or  wronged,  or  injured?  He  bids 
the  world  know  that,  "he  that  toucheth  them  toucheth 
the  apple  of  iiis  eye."  Are  they  befriended  and  kindly 
entreated?  He  bids  the  world  also  know  that,  "he  is  not 
unrighteous  to  forget  their  works  and  labor  of  love  which 
they  have  showed  toward  His  name,  in  that  they  have 
ministered  to  his  saints." 

Are  they  sufferers  in  mind,  or  body,  or  estate?  They 
have  his  heartfelt  sympathy:  "In  all  their  affliction  he 
is  afflicted." 

Are  they  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake?  He  feels 
and  accounts  the  persecution  as  directed  against  himself: 
"Saul,  Saul,"  he  cried  from  the  heavens  to  that  furious 
enemy  of  his  people,  "why  persecutest  thou  me?" 

Are  they  in  their  labors  of  love,  or  in  their  weary 
travels,  kindly  received,  and  hospitably  entertained? 
He  esteems  it,  and  will  repay  it,  as  kindness  and  hospi- 
tality extended  to  him  in  person:  "He  that  receiveth 
you  receiveth  me,  and  he  that  receiveth  me  receiveth  him 
that  sent  me.     He  that  receiveth  a  prophet  in  the  name 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  631 

of  a  prophet  shall  receive  a  prophet's  reward;  and  he 
that  receiveth  a  righteous  man  in  the  name  of  a  right- 
eous man  shall  receive  a  righteous  man's  reward.  And 
whosoever  shall  give  to  drink  to  one  of  these  little  ones 
a  cup  of  cold  water  only,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  in  nowise  lose  his  reward." 

Are  they  neglected  of  men,  left  without  aid  or  sym- 
pathy in  time  of  need?  It  is  to  him  all  one  as  if  they 
had  neglected  himself:  "  Inasnmch  as  ye  did  it  not  to 
one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me." 

Are  they  remembered  and  cared  for  in  the  day  of 
trouble?  Are  they  destitute  of  the  comforts  or  necessaries 
of  life — of  food  or  medicine,  clothing  or  shelter — and  any 
minister  the  same  unto  them  ?  He  esteems  it  as  a  per- 
sonal kindness,  and  will  reward  it  at  the  final  day  as  if 
done  to  himself:  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world;  for  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat;  I 
was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink;  I  was  a  stranger,  and 
ye  took  me  in;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was  sick,  and 
ye  visited  me ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me. 
Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying,  Lord,  when 
saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee  ?  or  thirsty,  and 
gave  thee  drink?  When  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took 
thee  in  ?  or  naked,  and  clothed  thee  ?  Or  when  saw  we 
thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came  unto  thee  ?  And  the 
King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them.  Verily  I  say  unto 
you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least 
of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me."  Such 
is  the  love  and  such  the  sympathy  that  reign  in  the  king- 
dom of  grace;  love  so  true  and  unfailing,  and  sympathy 
so  tender,  that  whatever  affects  the  condition  or  the 
interests  of  one  of  the  least  of  the  members  of  his  great 
family  is  immediately  felt  at  the  heart  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness. 


632  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


ANALOGY  VI. 

As  aplanet,  though  drawn  by  the  attraction  of  other  planets  to  this  or  that 
side  of  its  trice  orbit,  will  yet  be  slowly  but  surely  brought  back  to  it  by 
the  more  powerful  gravitation  of  the  Sun  ;—so  the  Christian,  though 
drawn  by  the  influence  of  other  men  to  this  or  that  side  of  the  straight 
and  narrow  path,  will  surely  in  time  be  restored  to  it  by  the  superior 
attraction  of  the  Sun  of  Bighteousness. 

Phenomena. 

The  general  motions  of  the  planetary  globes,  as  con- 
trolled and  perpetuated  by  the  Sun's  gravitation  simply, 
are  plain  and  easily  understood.  But  the  Sun  is  not  the 
only  body  in  the  system  that  gravitates ;  every  one  of  the 
planets,  as  before  stated,  attracts  the  Sun  and  all  the 
other  planets  in  like  manner;  and  hence  arise  various 
perturbations  in  their  movements  not  so  easily  compre- 
hended. 

Were  there  no  other  bodies  in  existence  but  the  Sun 
and  one  planety  the  latter  would  describe  an  exact  ellipse 
about  the  former,  and  continue  to  perform  its  revolutions 
in  the  same  orbit  forever;  but  the  moment  a  second 
planet  is  introduced,  this  will  draw  the  first  out  of  its 
proper  orbit,  more  or  less,  according  to  their  relative 
position  or  distance ;  and  when  a  tldrd  is  called  into 
being,  this  will  disturb  both  the  preceding,  and  both  the 
preceding  will  disturb  it ;  and  thus  on,  with  every  addi- 
tional planet. 

In  the  existing  system  of  nature,  therefore,  the  planets, 
as  they  move  in  their  orbits,  thus  necessarily  attract  one 
another  according  to  the  universal  law  of  gravitation. 
When  at  their  nearest  distances  from  one  another,  their 
mutual  disturbing  influence  becomes  quite  perceptible 
and  calculable;    and  though  this  is  small,  yet  if  the 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  633 

perturbations  were  to  go  on  increasing  with  every  recur- 
rence, they  would  in  the  course  of  long  periods  of  time, 
inevitably  result  in  the  destruction  of  the  whole  system. 
When  these  were  first  observed,  astronomers  naturally 
became  alarmed  for  its  safety,  and  thought  that  nothing 
but  the  direct  interposition  of  the  Almighty  could  save 
it.  But  as  the  science  of  physical  astronomy  advanced, 
and  exact  and  prolonged  observations  were  made,  mathe- 
maticians became  able  to  calculate  and  prove  that,  these 
perturbations,  after  reaching  a  certain  limit  or  extent, 
gradually  decreased  until  they  came  back  to  the  point 
from  which  they  began  to  deviate ;  that  is,  they  were 
demonstrated  to  be  periodical.  Every  planet  after  leav- 
ing, through  these  disturbing  attractions,  its  mean  path, 
or  mean  eccentricity,  or  mean  inclination  to  the  ecliptic, 
returns  slowly  to  that  mean,  deviates  from  it  on  the  other 
side,  and  again  returns  and  passes  to  its  former  limit. 

These  perturbations,  being  numerous  and  in  perpetual 
change,  owing  to  the  ever-varying  distances  of  so  many 
bodies  of  different  masses,  constitute  one  of  the  most 
difficult  subjects  in  the  whole  domain  of  astronomy.  But 
we  hope  to  be  able  to  convey  to  the  reader  a  general  idea 
of  them  sufficiently  clear  for  our  present  purpose. 

From  the  mutual  attractions  of  the  planets  there  result, 
as  above  intimated,  three  different  classes  of  perturba- 
tions— the  first  relates  to  the  orbits,  the  second  to  the 
eccentricities,  and  the  third  to  the  inclinations  of  the 
orbits  of  the  planets. 

1.  Perturhatloiis  of  tlie  orbits. — The  orbits  of  the  plan- 
ets are  not  circles,  but  ellipses ;  and  the  Sun  is  not,  in  any 
case,  in  the  centre  of  the  ellipse,  but  a  little  one  side  of 
it,  in  some  more,  in  others  less,  on  the  longer  diameter. 
Hence  the  orbits  of  two  planets  next  to  next  approach 
each  other  at  a  certain  point  nearer  than  at  any  other 


634  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

point.  This  will  be  understood  by  a  glance  at  the  an- 
nexed figure,  where  the  outer  circle  represents,  say,  the 
earth's  orbit,  the  inner  that  of  Venus,  and  a  the  point  of 
their  least,  and  h  that  of  their  greatest  distance.  At  a, 
of  course,  their  mutual  attraction  and  disturbance  are 
greatest.  We  will  suppose  them  to  be  at  this  point  at  a 
given  time ; — as  they  revolve  around  the  Sun  in  periods 
of  different  lengths,  when  will  they  be  for  the  first  time 
in  the  same  position  again  ?  It  will  be,  as  every  arith- 
metician knows,  at  the  date  indicated  by  the  least  com- 
mon multiple  of  these  periods.  Now,  8  times  the  period 
of  the  earth  is  not  far  from  13  times  the  period  of  Venus; 


■:.:..■  ■•■.:^--:-^/%1 

/ 

-^^^^ 

\ 

i'.^ 

■m 

\ 

v__^ 

/ 

"^ 

ky-r-^ 

MUTUAL  PEUTURBATION  OF  TWO  PLANETS. 

but  235  times  the  period  of  the  earth  is  almost  exactly 
equal  to  382  times  the  period  of  Venus.  Hence  they 
will  be  together  again  for  the  first  time,  at  the  point  of 
their  nearest  approach,  at  the  end  of  235  times  the  period 
of  the  earth,  that  is,  in  235  years.  During  one-half  of 
this  period  the  effect  which  one  planet  has  upon  the  other 
is,  that  its  orbit  has  been  slowly  changing  in  one  direction, 
and  during  the  other  half  has  been  coming  back  in  the 
opposite  direction :  in  other  w^ords,  they  have  been  so 
situated  half  the  time  as  to  retard,  and  the  other  half  to 
accelerate  each  other's  motion,  according  as  the  one  has 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  635 

been  in  advance  or  behind  the  other,  during  these  numer- 
ous revolutions;  so  that  at  the  end  of  this  cycle,  they 
are  found  just  where  they  were  at  its  beginning — no 
irregularity,  either  positive  or  negative,  having  accrued. 

In  a  similar  manner  the  planets  Jupiter  and  Saturn 
affect  each  other.  Five  times  the  period  of  Jupiter  is  a 
little  more  than  twice  that  of  Saturn  ;  but  77  revolutions 
of  Jupiter  are  very  nearly  equal  to  31  of  Saturn,  corre- 
sponding to  a  period  of  913  years.  Hence  arises  in  the 
motion  of  both  these  planets  a  cycle  of  perturbations 
requiring  over  nine  centuries  to  complete. 

Again,  there  is  a  like  inequality  produced  in  the 
motions  of  Uranus  and  Neptune  by  their  mutual  attraction. 
The  periodic  time  of  Neptune  is  nearly  double  that  of 
Uranus ;  or,  more  accurately,  25  revolutions  of  Neptune 
correspond  to  49  of  Uranus.  Hence  arises  in  the  motions 
of  these  planets  an  inequality  having  a  period  of  over 
4,000  years. 

The  above  instances  will  serve  to  convey  an  idea  of 
the  perturbations  that  take  place  in  the  motions  of  the 
planets  in  consequence  of  their  mutual  attractions. 

2.  Variation  of  the  inclinations. — The  planes  of  the 
orbits  of  all  the  planets  are  more  or  less  inclined  to  the 
plane  of  the  ecliptic;  and  these  inclinations  are  subject 
to  small  variations — that  is,  they  oscillate  first  to  one  side 
and  then  to  the  other  of  their  mean  inclination.  To 
explain  this,  let  the  line  A  B  represent  the  plane  of  the 
ecliptic,  or  that  in  which  the  Sun  performs  his  apparent 
annual  revolution  ;  and  CD  the  plane  of  a  planet's  orbit. 
This  is  found  to  swing  forward  very  slowly  till  it  takes 
the  direction  of  the  dotted  line  //;  it  then  returns  till  it 
has  regained  its  former  position,  and  passes  on  till  it  has 
reached  the  position  of  the  dotted  line  ee.  It  now  begins 
to  swing  back  in  the  opposite  direction,  comes  once  more 

39 


636.  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

to  CD,  and  finally  to  //*,  to  go  through  the  same  round 
again.  The  entire  oscillation,  in  every  case,  lies  within 
the  limits  of  a  very  small  arc,  and  is  accomplished  with 
extreme  slowness.  It  has  been  computed  that  the  incli- 
nation of  the  orbit  of  Jupiter  must  oscillate  between  the 
values  of  2°  2'  and  1°  17',  and  that  it  requires  for  this 
change  a  period  of  50,000  years.  The  oscilliation  of 
Saturn  lies  between  2°  32'  and  0°  46',  and  occupies  about 
the  same  length  of  time  as  that  of  Jupiter. 

The  plane  of  the  earth's'  orbit  is  subject  to  a  similar 
variation.     The  inclination  of  the  eartli's  equator  to  the 
ecliptic  is  at  present  24'  less  than  it  was  2,100  years  ago 
and  is  now  decreasing  at  the  rate  of  half  a  second  an- 


TARIATION   OF   INCLINATION. 


nually.  But  it  has  been  proved  that  this  is  a  periodical 
variation,  and  that  after  reaching  a  minimum,  it  will  re- 
turn in  a  contrary  direction  ;  and  thus  oscillate  back  and 
forth  about  a  mean  position.  It  has  been  computed  that 
the  obliquity  has  been  decreasing  for  20,000  j-ears,  and 
w^ill  continue  to  decrease  for  15,000  years  longer;  after 
this  it  will  begin  to  increase  and  return. 

3.  Variatimi  of  the  eccentricities. — The  orbits  of  all  the 
planets,  as  before  stated,  are  slightly  elliptical,  having 
the  Sun  in  one  focus.  The  distance  from  the  centre  of 
the  ellipse  to  this  focus  is  called  the  eccentricity  of  a 
planet,  and  its  amount  is  expressed  as  being  such  a  frac- 
tion of  the  half  of  the  diameter  in  which  the  focus  is 


CENTRE  OF   GRAVITATION.  637 

situated.  Thus,  in  the  annexed  figure,  C  is  the  centre, 
and  F  the  focus.  If  the  distance  from  C  to  F  be  i,  or  I, 
or  §  of  C  D,  the  eccentricity  is  said  to  be  0.5,  or  0.75,  or 
0.66,  respectively.  Now,  the  eccentricities  of  all  the 
planetary  orbits  are  continually  changing,  but  this  change 
is  exceedingly  small  and  slow,  in  no  case  exceeding  one- 
thousandth  part  in  three  hundred  years.  In  every  in- 
stance these  changes  are  confined  within  very  moderate 
limits;  those  of  Jupiter  are  confined  to  the  limits  0.06 
and  0.02 ;  while  those  of  Saturn  lie  within  the  limits  of 
0.08  and  0.01;  the  period  in  each  case  being  35,000 
years. 

The  eccentricity  of  the  earth's  orbit  is  decreasing  at  the 


VARIATION  OF  KCCKNTRICITIES 


rate  of  0.00004  in  a  century ;  but  this  change  will  always 
be  confined  within  the  limits  of  0.07  and  0.003.  The 
earth's  orbit,  therefore,  can  never  become  an  exact  circle. 
Le  Verrier  has  computed  that  the  eccentricity  will  con- 
tinue to  diminish  for  24,000  years,  when  its  value  will 
be  0.003.  It  will  then  begin  to  increase,  and  at  the 
end  of  another  period  of  40,000  years  its  value  will  be 
0.02 ;  after  which  it  will  again  slowly  decrease. 

All  the  foregoing  perturbations  and  oscillations,  and 
some  others  we  have  not  named,  result  from  the  mutual 
attractions  of  the  globes  composing  the  system.  And 
although  so  many  bodies  are  concerned  in  producing  them, 


638  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  though  they  occupy,  in  completing  their  cycles,  such 
vast  periods  of  time — some  of  them  thousands  and  others 
tens  of  thousands  of  years — ^yet  are  they  not  less  sure 
and  fixed  in  their  return,  than  the  swinging  of  the  pen- 
dulum, whose  regulated  motion  marks  seconds  of  time. 

But  when  these  perturbations  and  oscillations  of  the 
planetary  bodies  were  first  discovered,  and  before  their 
nature  was  understood,  Newton,  Halley,  and  others  be- 
came alarmed  for  the  stability  of  the  system.  They 
thought  they  had  detected  a  weak  point,  a  fatal  defect, 
in  its  constitution.  They  could  clearly  discern  that,  if 
all  this  went  on  ever  increasing,  as  they  thought  it  must, 
the  whole  frame  of  nature  would  ultimately  be  involved 
in  inevitable  ruin.  But  vain  fears  !  The  Divine  Archi- 
tect had  foreseen  all  the  difficulties  and  dangers  they 
apprehended,  and  had  fully  provided  against  them,  by 
establishing  such  a  balance  of  the  disturbing  forces  as 
would  make  them,  as  we  have  just  seen,  self-correcting 
within  fixed  and  regular  periods.  To  the  successors  of 
these  great  men — Lagrange,  Laplace,  and  Poisson — it  was 
given  to  discover  all  this.  They  were  enabled  to  un- 
ravel these  complicated  variations  and  disturbances,  to 
explain  their  causes,  to  calculate  their  periods,  and  to 
determine  their  limits ;  and  thus  to  demonstrate  that  the 
system  of  nature  remains  stable  and  enduring. 

These  distinguished  astronomers  wrought  out,  on  the 
most  rigorous  principles  of  mathematics,  a  demonstration 
that  the  original  constitution  of  the  solar  system  embraces 
all  the  conditions  essential  to  its  security.  They  clearly 
proved  that  superiority  of  mass  in  the  central  orb,  cer- 
tain distances  between  the  globes  encircling  it,  limited 
eccentricities  to  their  orbits,  small  inclination  of  these 
to  one  another,  and  revolution  in  the  same  direction — 
are  conditions  essential  to  the  stability  of   any  system 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  639 

governed  by  the  law  of  gravitation.  And  these  all  are 
found  in  the  most  admirable  combination  in  the  solar 
system. 

What  a  revelation,  then,  of  the  perfection  of  the 
Creator's  works  have  we  here!  How  vast  in  dimensions, 
how  sublime  in  periods,  how  infallible  and  enduring  in 
movements !  In  this  great  system  we  behold  scores  of 
immense  globes — the  distance,  mass,  and  velocity  of  every 
one  of  these  must  be  in  their  exact  proportions,  all  must 
rotate  and  revolve  in  the  same  direction,  the  orbits  of  all 
must  be  set  at  so  many  degrees  and  minutes  of  inclina- 
tion to  all  the  rest,  every  one  must  be  bound  within  such 
limits  of  eccentricity,  and  the  disturbing  attraction  of 
each  upon  all  the  others  must  be  uniformly  and  statedly 
corrected.  An  error  in  one  of  these  particulars  might 
involve  all  in  destruction.  If  the  eccentricity  of  Jupiter 
were  increased  to  that  of  Mercury,  or  the  mass  of  Saturn 
given  to  Venus,  all  security  for  the  stability  of  the  sys- 
tem would  at  once  vanish.  Whence,  then,  all  these 
admirable  adjustments,  and  proportions,  and  balancings 
of  a  hundred  different  worlds?  Whence  but  from  the 
hands  of  Him  who  is  infinite  in  knowledge,  and  skill,  and 
power  ?  What  clearer  evidences,  or  what  stronger  proof 
of  this  could  be  given  or  desired  than  we  behold  in  the 
facts  now  presented?  Who  can  intelligently  contemplate 
the  beauty  and  perfection  of  the  planetary  system,  and 
not  in  profoundest  reverence  look  up,  and  say,  "  These, 
O  Lord,  are  thy  works,  and  marvellous  they  are  in  our 
eyes ! 

Teachings. 

Every  object  we  behold  in  nature,  every  force  we  de- 
tect in  activity,  and  every  law  we  find  to  prevail,  whether 
in  the  heavens  or  on  the  earth,  has  some  sacred  message, 
some  important  lesson  for  man.     In   these  we  discover 


640  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

thoughts  that  have  occupied  the  Divine  mind,  plans  that 
indicate  the  Divine  character,  and  operations  that  con- 
firm the  Divine  promises.  That  aspect  of  the  system  of 
nature,  at  which  we  have  now  glanced,  rightly  under- 
stood, is  even  luminous  with  the  same  precious  truths  as 
we  read  in  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God. 

As  a  planet,  though  drawn  by  the  attraction  of  other 
planets  to  this  or  that  side  of  its  true  orbit,  will  yet  be 
slowly  but  surely  brought  back  to  it  by  the  more  pow- 
erful gravitation  of  the  Sun, — so  the  Christian,  though 
drawn  hy  the  influence  of  other  men  to  this  or  that  side  of 
the  na7'i'ow  path,  will  surely  in  time  he  restored  to  it  hy  the 
superior  attraction  of  the  Sun  of  Righteous^iess. 

The  perfection  of  all  the  plans  and  works  of  God  gives 
assurance  of  this.  Not  one  of  these  faileth,  for  that  he  is 
etrong  in  power  and  infinite  in  understanding.  If  the 
system  of  nature,  the  mere  abode  of  immortal  intelligences, 
displays  such  unfailing  skill  and  security,  as  we  have 
just  seen,  can  we  suppose  that  the  system  of  divine  grace, 
upon  which  depend  the  eternal  welfare,  felicity,  and 
glory  of  those  intelligences  is  less  perfect,  or  less  effectual 
and  sure  ?  That  were  contrary  to  reason — that  were  to 
set  a  higher  value  on  the  material  dwelling  than  upon 
the  spiritual  being  that  occupies  it — that  were,  indeed, 
a  base  reflection  upon  the  perfections  of  the  Almighty. 
If  the  solar  scheme  were  so  ill-contrived  that  now  a 
planet,  and  now  a  satellite  were  to  break  loose  from  its 
bonds,  forsake  its  orbit,  and  become  a  lost  wanderer  in 
the  trackless  void,  might  it  not  well  be  regarded  as  a  re- 
flection upon  the  wisdom  and  skill  of  the  Creator  as  not 
being  adequate  to  contrive,  or  upon  his  power  as  not 
being  able  to  produce  a  system  harmonious,  and  stable, 
and  enduring  in  its  motions  ? 

How  much  more  base,  then,  would  be  the  reflection, 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  641 

to  suppose  that,  the  system  of  moral  and  gracious  means, 
devised  and  executed  for  man's  salvation,  is  so  imperfect 
and  uncertain  as  that  one  after  another  of  the  souls  who 
have  been  once  set  in  motion,  as  so  many  spiritual 
planets,  around  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  should  after  a 
few  revolutions,  renounce  their  allegiance  to  him,  forsake 
their  courses,  and  become  hopeless  and  perishing  wan- 
derers in  the  dark  deep  of  sin  and  misery.  The  works 
of  the  Lord  are  perfect;  his  plans  are  unfailing,  and  his 
promises  are  all  yea  and  amen.  "Being  confident  of  this 
very  thing,"  saitli  the  apostle,  "that  he  who  hath  begun 
a  good  work  in  you  will  perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

As  the  all-wise  Creator,  while  as  yet  he  had  not  made 
the  earth,  nor  the  fields,  nor  the  highest  part  of  the  dust 
of  the  world,  nor  prepared  the  heavens,  nor  set  a  compass 
upon  the  face  of  the  deep,  clearly  foresaw  the  disturbing 
attractions  which  would  affect  the  positions  and  motions 
of  all  the  planets  through  every  inch  of  their  ceaseless 
revolutions,  and  planned  eflfectual  means,  as  we  see  at 
this  day,  for  their  preservation  and  stability — so  the 
Holy  Redeemer,  in  the  beginning  of  his  way,  before  his 
works  of  old,  foresaw  the  position  which  each  of  his 
unborn  followers  would  occupy,  and  all  the  influences 
which  should  beset  them  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave, 
and  made  ample  and  efiectual  provisions  for  their  safety. 
"  He  determined  their  times,  and  the  bounds  of  their 
habitation."  "  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  like  me, 
declaring:;  the  end  from  the  be£!;innin2;,  and  from  ancient 
times  the  things  that  are  not  yet  done,  saying,  My  coun- 
sel shall  stand,  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure.  Yea,  I  have 
spoken  it,  I  will  also  bring  it  to  pass;  I  have  purposed 
it,  I  will  also  do  it." 

The  safety  of  a  planet  depends  not  upon  itself — not 


042  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

upon  its  size  or  mass,  not  upon  its  hold  or  gravitation 
upon  the  Sun — but  upon  the  Sun's  hold  and  gravitation 
upon  it.  So  long  as  the  Sun  endures,  therefore,  exerting 
his  superior  and  unremitting  attraction,  that  planet  is 
safe  amid  all  the  disturbing  forces  that  may  affect  it.  So 
with  the  Christian  believer — his  safety  depends  not  upon 
himself;  not  on  the  firmness  of  his  will,  or  the  ardency 
of  his  affection,  or  the  fixedness  of  his  purpose;  but  on 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  enlightening  and 
strengthening  him  in  the  inner  man,  quickening  his  faith 
and  love,  and  drawing  him  to  that  which  is  right  and  pure 
and  holy.  So  long,  then,  as  Christ  sits  upon  the  throne 
of  his  glory,  supreme  in  authority  and  omnipotent  in 
power,  the  believer's  ultimate  safety  is  ensured,  whatever 
temptations  or  enemies  may  assail  him.  "  Because  I 
live,  ye  shall  live  also.  I  know  my  sheep  and  am  known 
of  mine.  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and  they  shall 
never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand. 
My  Father  which  gave  them  me  is  greater  than  all;  and 
no  man  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand. 
I  and  my  Father  are  one." 

The  planet,  though  drawn  through  the  perturbating 
influence  of  others  more  or  less  out  of  its  orbit,  yet 
through  the  controlling  power  of  the  central  orb,  is  sure 
to  be  restored  in  due  time  from  all  its  deviations  and 
obliquities.  So  the  believer — like  Noah,  through  ignor- 
ance; or  like  David,  through  lust;  or  like  Thomas, 
through  unbelief;  or  like  Peter,  through  fear — may  be 
led  astray  for  a  season;  but  like  these  also  he  will 
assuredly  be  restored  to  the  right  waj^,  through  the  un- 
failinir  attraction  and  TOvernance  of  the  Sun  of  Rio;ht- 
eousness.  "I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee,"  is 
his  promise.  And  hath  he  said  it,  and  shall  he  not  do 
it?     "Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high,  and  behold  who  hath 


CENTRE  OF   GRAVITATION.  643 

created  these  things,  that  bringeth  out  their  host  by 
number:  He  calleth  them  all  by  names  by  the  greatness 
of  his  might,  for  that  he  is  strong  in  power;  7iot  one 
fa'dethr  Of  the  spiritual  stars  predestined  to  adorn  and 
enrich  his  crown,  assuredly,  therefore,  not  one  shall  fail. 
But  while  those  who  in  this  life  hear  and  believe  and 
obey  the  truth  are  thus  secured  and  saved,  what  will  be  the 
lot  or  destiny  of  others — of  those  numbers  who  reject  the 
Gospel,  and  of  those  myriads  who  never  heard  the  name 
of  Christ, — embracing  by  far  the  vast  majority  of  our 
Race  ?  Are  all  these  to  be  left  "wandering  stars"  forever 
and  forever?  Is  there  no  law,  no  counteracting  influence 
established  that  will  eventually  work  out  their  restoration 
to  their  true  orbits  in  the  moral  system  ?  Are  there  no 
redemptive  agencies  provided  that  will  finally  avail  with 
and  for  them  ?  Are  there  no  elements  of  love,  or  com- 
passion, or  mercy  involved  in  the  great  plan  of  salvation, 
that  will  ultimately  reach  and  restore  even  these  to 
loyalty,  love  and  happiness?  Is  there  no  door  of  /iope 
left  open  concerning  them  ? 

Who  shall  presume  to  "limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel?" 
For  the  full  solution  of  this  problem  we  must  wait ;  and 
well  we  may ;  for  as  in  the  material,  so  in  the  moral  sys- 
tem, all  the  Divine  arrangements,  we  may  rest  assured, 
will  be  found  perfect  and  complete,  the  wisest  and  the 
best.  The  revolutions  of  the  latter,  like  the  cycles  of  the 
former,  may  occupy  periods  for  their  completion,  that  are 
vast,  indeed,  as  compared  wdth  the  life-time  of  the  creat- 
ure of  a  day.  In  the  present  state,  it  is  given  to  man  to 
see  or  to  know  but  a  limited  fragment  of  the  sublime  and 
glorious  plan  of  Divine  Grace,  which  spans  the  ages  and 
tlie  eons  of  the  reign  of  Messiah.  And  all  this  is  in 
harmonv  with  our  knowledire  of  other  doinirs  of  the 
Ancient  of  Days,  who  is  in  no  haste  to  accomplish  his 
inscrutable  purposes,  seeing  "  He  inhabiteth  eternity." 


644  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Man,  in  the  present  life,  is,  every  day,  every  hour, 
enjoying  the  results  of  material  laws  and  forces  which 
were  set  in  operation  thousands  of  years,  aye  and  of  ages, 
before  he  was  called  into  existence.  Our  globe  has  known 
what  geologists  call  its  Glacial  Period — a  period  of  cold 
and  storms,  of  darkness  and  desolation,  which  required 
tens  of  thousands  of  years  to  effect  its  purposes,  and  ulti- 
mately to  introduce  the  bright  and  happy  period  in  which 
we  live.  And  the  whole  material  system  to  which  our 
globe  belongs,  as  we  have  just  seen,  has  its  secular  per- 
turbations— its  deviations  of  orbits  and  oscillations  of 
centres  and  inclinations,  which  continue,  yea,  go  on  in- 
creasing, for  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  revolu- 
tions ;  and  then,  in  the'course  of  as  many  other  revolutions, 
return  slowly  but  infallibly  to  their  perfect  equilibrium. 
Now,  if  such  vicissitudes  and  such  variations  in  the  sys- 
tem of  nature  are  ultimately  corrected  by  the  laws  and 
relations  under  which  Infinite  Wisdom  has  placed 
them,  may  we  not  hope  that  equally  effective  provisions 
have  been  made  also  for  correcting  the  far  more  fearful  dis- 
orders of  the  intelligent  universe  ?  And  if  the  restoration 
of  material  derangements  requires  such  enormous  peri- 
ods, analogy  would  suggest  that  similar  periods  may  be 
necessary  for  the  vindication  of  moral  laws  and  the  carry- 
ing out  of  gracious  plans,  instituted  from  the  creation  of 
man,  yea,  from  the  depths  of  eternity.  If  each  oscillation 
of  the  celestial  mechanism  requires  a  period,  in  comparison 
with  which  the  brief  and  hasty  life  of  man  sinks  as  to  a 
moment  or  point  of  time,  patiently  and  confidingly  should 
we  wait  ihe  results  that  are  to  issue  from  the  evolutions 
of  that  mighty  and  amazing  scheme  of  love,  into  which 
the  very  angels  desire  to  look.  And,  as  the  evil  of  sin  is 
of  our  own  creation,  all  the  more  patlcnthj — rejoicing  in 
the  thought,  that  in  proportion  to  the  length  of  the  time 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  645 

which  the  process  may  demand,  will  be  the  magnitude 
of  the  results  accruing  to  the  interests  of  holiness  and  to 
the  glory  of  God. 

We  may  not  say,  for  we  have  no  warrant  to  do  so, 
that  all  the  resources  of  the  All-Sufficient,  to  rescue  and 
restore  erring  men,  are  exhausted  in  the  few  and  evil  days 
of  the  present  life.  That  were  to  be  wise  above  what  is 
written.  That  were  to  set  bounds  to  the  Infinite,  The 
depths  of  his  wisdom  and  the  riches  of  his  grace  are  un- 
fathomable. "His  judgments  are  a  great  deep,  and  his 
ways  past  finding  out."  "His  love  passeth  all  under- 
standing." "His  compassions  fail  not."  "His  mercy 
endureth  for  ever."  Without  supposing,  then,  or  even 
implying,  that  salvation  is  or  ever  will  be  attainable  in 
any  other  way  than  through  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ, 
or  that  repentance,  faith  and  submission  are  not  essential 
conditions — without  denying  a  final  judgment,  without 
doubting  the  future  punishment  of  sin,  or  conflicting  with 
any  explicit  statement  of  scripture — may  we  not  entertain 
the  hope  that,  in  harmony  with  the  processes  of  recovery 
and  restoration  we  witness  throughout  the  universe,  the 
time  will  come — its  date,  indeed,  may  lie  far  and  deep  in 
the  future — when  all  evil  will  be  remedied,  every  sin  for- 
given, and  every  heart  a  channel  through  which  a  fulness 
of  delight  shall  ever  stream  from  the  Great  Central  Source, 
the  ever-blessed  Sun  of  Righteousness? — "Then  shall  he 
deliver  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father ;  when 
he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule  and  all  authority  and 
power :  for  he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies 
under  his  feet." 


646  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

ANALOGY   VII. 

As  the  Sun,  by  his  all-pervading  gravitation,  brings  forward  all  the  globes 
of  the  sijstem  to  every  position  and  point  in  their  circuits,  at  the  exact 
and  predicted  moment;  so  the  Smi  of  liighteousness,  by  his  all-embrac- 
ing providence,  brings  forwa7xl  every  event  relating  to  his  church  and 
the  world  at  the  precise  time  afore  appointed. 

Phenomena. 

The  scales  used  for  weighing  gold  in  the  assay  office, 
at  New  York,  are  said  to  be  so  delicate  that  when  brought 
to  a  balance  with  two  pieces  of  paper  of  equal  size  in  the 
pans,  the  mere  writing  of  a  name  with  a  lead-pencil  on 
one  of  the  pieces  of  paper  will  add  enough  weight  to  the 
paper  to  turn  the  scales  in  its  favor.  Admirable  as  this  is, 
infinitely  more  so  are  the  scales  of  gravitation,  in  which 
a  floating  mote  or  a  flying  planet  is  weighed  with  equal 
delicacy  and  precision.  Not  a  grain  of  sand,  not  the 
minutest  atom,  could  be  added  to,  or  taken  from,  a  globe 
in  the  solar  system,  but  the  balance  of  the  Sun's  gravita- 
tion would  detect  the  change,  and  modify  its  action  ac- 
cordingly. And  this  is  not  the  only  respect  in  which  it 
excels  the  contrivance  of  man;  that,  by  its  very  delicacy, 
will  wear,  grow  inaccurate,  and  fail  to  answer  its  pur- 
pose ;  but  gravitation  is  an  agency  that  knows  neither 
wear,  nor  tear,  nor  derangement;  it  is  as  efiective  and 
perfect  in  its  action  to-day  as  when  the  world  was  first 
poised  in  empty  space.  It  has  never  been  a  moment  be- 
hind, nor  a  moment  in  advance,  in  carrying  through  their 
rounds  any  of  the  great  globes  committed  to  its  guidance 
and  control.  In  all  its  operations,  it  has  ever  proved 
undcviating  and  infallible.  In  proof  as  well  as  illustra- 
tion of  these  statements,  let  us  now  glance  at  a  few  well- 
established  ficts. 

The  Sun  and  moon,  as  every  one  knows,  are  both  sub- 


CENTRE  OF   GRAVITATION.  647 

ject  to  eclipses,  varying  in  extent  and  duration.  These 
take  place  when  the  moon  is  in  certain  positions  in  her 
orbit  with  reference  to  the  earth  and  the  Sun;  in  other 
words,  when  all  these  three  globes  happen  to  be  in  one 
and  the  same  straight  line,  which  occurs  at  irregular 
intervals.  Now,  so  exact  and  uniform  is  the  action  of 
gravitation  on  the  motion  of  both  the  moon  and  the  earth, 
that  each  eclipse  may  be,  and,  in  fact,  has  been  calcu- 
lated for  scores  and  even  hundreds  of  years  in  advance, 
with  absolute  certainty  and  correctness.  The  astronomi- 
cal observer  of  these  phenomena,  take  up  his  position  on 
whatever  spot  of  the  earth's  surface  he  may,  knows  the 
precise  minute  and  second  at  which  to  look  for  their  com- 
mencement and  their  close,  and  knows  also  what  side  and 
what  proportion  of  the  disc  of  either  luminary  will  be 
obscured  in  every  particular  case.  So  unerring  is  gravi- 
tation that  it  has  never  failed  to  bring  about  an  eclipse 
at  tl^e  very  moment  when  it  was  due. 

Again,  if  we  look  at  the  revolutions  of  the  planets  in 
their  orbits  we  shall  find  the  same  infallible  exactitude. 
Our  own  globe,  for  example,  in  its  annual  course  around 
the  Sun  sweeps  over  a  circumference  measuring  575  mil- 
lions of  miles;  and  yet  it  performs  this  mighty  journey 
from  year  to  year,  and  from  century  to  century,  without 
fail,  and  without  the  least  deviation — namely,  in  365d. 
Gh.  9m.  9.6sec.  This  is  the  sidereal  year.  How  mar- 
vellous is  this  fact !  and  yet  not  more  marvellous  than 
important  to  the  welfare  of  our  whole  world.  It  might 
seem,  at  first  thought,  a  trivial  matter,  if  the  earth  had 
fallen  behind  its  intended  speed,  say,  just  one  minute,  in 
running  a  million  of  miles ;  but  if  even  that  small  loss 
had  actually  taken  place,  all  terrestrial  arrangements  of 
seasons  and  temperature  had  long  since  run  into  utter 
confusion,  and  our  globe  been  rendered  uninhabitable. 


648  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Take  again  the  planet  Jupiter,  whose  orbital  journey 
far  exceeds  that  of  the  earth,  amounting  to  no  less  than 
2,988  millions  of  miles;  and  yet  this  stupendous  distance 
is  accomplished  without  fail  from  revolution  to  revolution 
within  its  set  time — namely,  4,332d.  14h.  2m.  And 
those  more  remote  orbs,  Saturn,  Uranus,  and  Neptune, 
perform  vastly  longer  journeys  still,  but  with  the  same 
unfailing  precision.  Thus,  that  mysterious  power,  gravi- 
tation, carries  every  globe  of  the  system,  whether  great 
or  small,  near  or  afar  off,  through  its  appointed  round 
in  its  exact  period  of  time ;  when  the  moment  of  its 
perihelion  or  aphelion  point  is  called,  it  is  there,  and 
promptly  answers,  "  Behold,  here  I  am." 

As  another  and  somewhat  different  illustration  of  this 
subject,  we  may  view  what  are  called  the  transits  of  the 
inferior  planets.  The  orbits  of  Venus  and  Mercury  being 
within  that  of  the  earth,  these  planets,  at  distant  and 
unequal  periods,  pass  exactly  between  us  and  the  Sun, 
and  appear  as  black  spots  passing  over  his  disc;  and  these 
passages  are  therefore  called  transits.  Let  us  take  those 
of  Venus.  The  first  of  these  ever  known  to  have  been 
seen  by  a  human  being  occurred  December  4th,  1639. 
A  second  was  observed  in  17G1,  and  a  third  in  1769. 
The  last  was  deemed  of  such  importance,  as  being  the 
best  means  known  for  determining  the  distance  of  the 
Sun,  that  expeditions  were  fitted  out  on  the  most  effective 
scale,  by  the  British,  French  and  Russian  governments, 
to  the  remotest  corners  of  tlie  globe,  for  the  purpose  of 
observing  it.  And  though  those  observations  were  made 
with  as  great  accuracy  as  the  state  of  science  and  the 
instruments  possessed  at  the  time  would  admit,  yet  in 
many  respects  they  were  not  satisfactory  to  subsequent 
astronomers ;  and  hence  scientists  ere  long  began  to  look 
forward  to  a  recurrence  of  the  phenomenon  with  great 


CENTRE  or  GRAVITATION.  649 

interest.  But  another  transit  of  this  planet  would  not 
take  place  till  1874.  So  that  before  another  opportunity 
for  observation  would  occur,  the  earth  would  have  to 
perform  105  revolutions  round  the  Sun,  and  Venus  no 
less  than  1 71  revolutions.  Yet,  such  is  the  exact  and 
infallible  action  of  the  Sun's  gravitation  that,  after  all 
these  twofold  revolutions  had  been  completed,  not  the 
slightest  amount  of  gain  or  loss  of  time  had  accumulated; 
the  transit  came  to  pass  at  the  precise  hour  and  instant 
astronomers  had  fore-calculated — namely,  December  8th, 
1874,  the  first  contact  taking  place  at  16h.  8m.  24sec. ; 
and  according  to  their  computations,  also,  its  duration 
proved  to  be  just  4h.  9m.  22sec.  As  we  contemplate 
Buch  a  result  as  this,  we  scarce  know  which  to  admire  the 
most,  the  perfection  of  Nature's  laws,  or  the  intellectual 
powers  bestowed  on  such  a  diminutive  creature  as  man, 
which  enable  him  to  trace  and  calculate  such  intricate 
revolutions  at  the  distance  of  so  many  millions  of  miles, 
and  through  so  many  years  to  come ! — The  last  transit 
of  Venus  occurred  on  the  6th  of  December,  1882. 

We  have  in  the  solar  system  another  class  of  bodies 
which  afford  a  more  striking  illustration  still,  if  possible, 
of  the  subject  before  us.  These  are  the  comets — wild 
wanderers — despisers  of  nil  fixed  limits.  Unlike  the 
planets,  which  all  move  from  west  to  east,  and  nearly  in 
the  plane  of  the  ecliptic,  these  cut  across  that  plane  at 
every  possible  angle,  altogether  indifferent  as  to  the  de- 
gree of  their  inclination,  and  equally  indifferent  to  the 
direction  in  which  they  travel,  the  motions  of  quite  as 
many  being  retrograde  as  direct.  They  move  round  the 
Sun,  indeed,  as  their  centre,  but  in  elliptic  orbits  im- 
mensely elongated ;  in  one  part  of  which  some  of  them 
travel  with  inconceivable  speed,  while  in  the  opposite  they 
progress  slowly,  almost  as  the  floating  vapor  before  the 


650  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

breeze.  But  the  Sun  controls  the  movements  of  all  these 
wanderers  by  the  very  same  force,  and  according  to  the 
very  same  law,  which  retains  the  planets  in  their  orbits 
and  carries  them  forward  through  their  rounds — the 
marvellous  law  of  gravitation. 

"The  great  comet  of  1680,"  says  Herschel,  "afforded 
Newton  a  beautiful  occasion  to  test  the  truth  of  his  gravi- 
tation theory  by  the  most  extreme  case  which  could  be 
proposed.  The  planets  were  tame  and  gentle  things  to 
deal  with.  A  little  tightening  of  the  rein  here  and  a 
little  relaxation  there,  as  they  careered  round  and  round, 
would  suffice  perhaps  to  keep  them  regular,  and  guide 
them  in  their  graceful  and  smooth  evolutions.  But  here 
we  had  a  stranger  from  afar — from  out  beyond  the  ex- 
tremest  limits  of  our  system — dashing  in,  scorning  all 
their  conventions,  cutting  across  all  their  orbits,  and 
rushing  like  some  wild  infuriated  thing  close  up  to  the 
central  Sun,  and  steering  short  round  it  in  a  sharp  and 
violent  curve  with  a  speed  (for  such  it  was)  of  1,200,000 
miles  an  hour  at  the  turning  point,  and  then  going  off 
as  if  curbed  by  the  guidance  of  a  firm  and  steady  leading 
rein,  held  by  a  powerful  hand,  in  a  path  exactly  similar 
to  that  of  its  arrival,  with  perfect  regularity  and  beautiful 
precision;  in  conformity  to  a  rule  which  required  not  the 
smallest  alteration  in  its  working  to  make  it  applicable  to 
such  a  case.  If  anything  could  carry  conviction  to  men's 
minds  of  the  truth  of  a  theory,  it  was  this.    And  it  did  so."* 

In  1682,  another  magnificent  comet  appeared  in  the 
heavens.  In  this,  Edmund  Ilalley,  the  friend  of  Newton, 
took  a  special  interest,  and  undertook  to  determine  its 
orbit  and  its  period.  Having  completed  his  laborious 
calculations,  he  announced  to  the  world  that  it  would 
return,  and  appear  again  in  the   beginning  of  the  year 


*  Familiar  Lectures,  p.  108. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  651 

1759,  thus  giving  it  a  period  of  seventy-six  years.  This 
prediction  was  verified;  at  the  time  foretold  it  did  return 
— but  returned  to  look  down  on  the  grave  of  the  intrepid 
mortal  who  had  traced  its  mystic  path  through  the  void 
profound!  It  appeared  again  in  1835,  thus  reassuring 
the  correctness  of  his  calculation.  This  comet,  at  its 
perihelion  or  nearest  point,  is  within  55,000,000  of  miles 
from  the  Sun;  but  in  reaching  its  aphelion  or  furthest 
point,  it  crosses  the  orbits  of  all  the  planets,  passing  be- 
yond that  of  Neptune,  the  outermost,  not  less  than  650,- 
000,000  of  miles;  yet  from  this  inconceivable  distance 
the  Sun's  attraction  brings  it  back  steadily  and  uniformly 
to  complete  its  circuit  in  27,8651  days,  or  76.29  years. 

The  periods  of  a  number  of  other  comets  have  been 
calculated,  and  which  have  been  verified  in  like  manner 
by  their  return  once  and  again.  The  periods  of  others 
still  have  been  computed,  but  ere  the  actual  verification 
of  these  shall  take  place  ages  upon  ages  must  pass  away. 
The  period  of  the  comet  of  1858  has  been  estimated  to  be 
2,100  years;  that  of  1811,  to  be  3,000  years;  and  that 
of  1844,  100,000  years.  Others  there  have  appeared 
whose  courses  indicated  longer  periods  still.  But  time 
affects  not  the  energy  or  the  law  of  the  Sun's  gravitation, 
and  each  at  its  appointed  day  will  assuredly  be  brought 
back  again  to  the  point  where  human  eyes  first  beheld 
it.     "  Not  one  shall  fail." 

From  the  foregoing  examples  we  see  what  an  infallible 
ruler  and  guide  the  great  solar  orb  is; — that  it  brings  every 
planet,  and  satellite,  and  comet  in  his  vast  system  for- 
ward to  each  particular  point  of  its  orbit  at  the  very  time 
appointed.  Every  eclipse  and  every  transit,  every  con- 
junction and  opposition,  every  quadrature  and  occultation, 
after  journeys  of  millions  and  hundreds  of  millions  of 
miles,  takes  place  at  the  very  hour,  and  minute,  and  second 

40 


652  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

when  it  is  due.  And  as  we  contemplate  this  perfection 
of  nature's  laws  and  nature's  forces,  we  are  involuntarily 
moved  to  exclaim  with  the  devout  Psalmist,  "Thy  word, 
0  Lord,  is  settled  in  the  heavens;  they  continue  this  day 
according  to  thine  ordinances,  for  all  are  thy  servants." 

And  with  such  facts  as  those  above  before  us,  we  can 
scarcely  escape  the  reflection,  What  triumphs  the  human 
intellect  has  achieved!  What  a  thing  it  is  for  diminutive 
man,  the  creature  of  a  few  years'  existence,  to  measure 
the  distances,  trace  the  orbits,  weigh  the  masses,  compute 
the  velocities,  and  determine  the  periods  of  worlds  on 
worlds  so  vast  and  so  remote!  And  as  we  gaze  on  one 
of  those  mysterious  visitants,  the  comets,  whose  period 
far  outspans  that  of  his  brief  and  hasty  life,  and  think 
that  it  will  return  again  to  verify  his  calculations,  and 
to  proclaim  the  victories  of  his  science,  not  to  himself, 
but  to  the  generations  that  are  yet  to  be  born  far  hence 
— the  thought  rushes  with  instinctive  conviction  into  the 
mind,  Surely  such  a  being  must  be  immortal !  Shall 
these  unconscious  things  remain,  and  continue  to  come 
and  go,  and  the  reasoning  mind,  that  could  pursue,  and 
grasp,  and  comprehend  them,  sink  and  fade  into  utter 
nonentity  after  a  few  fleeting  days?  It  cannot  be. 
Man's  nature,  and  man's  intellectual  achievements,  pro- 
claim alike  that  he  must  live  on,  and  live  forever.  "Is 
it  possible,"  asks  an  eloquent  writer — "is  it  possible  that 
it  should  be  otherwise  in  the  government  of  God?  Shall 
the  material  thing,  inorganic,  inert,  impercipient,  move 
on  in  this  wondrous  perpetuity;  and  shall  the  soul  which 
discerns  its  order  and  tracks  its  career,  and  detects  its  laws, 
and  speculates  on  its  constitution,  be  swept  away  as 
nothing  before  it?  Shall  unconscious  matter  last,  while 
the  mind,  to  which  alone  its  functions  are  subservient, 
which  interprets  its  mysteries,   and  reads  in  them  the 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  653 

signature  of  God,  vanish  like  a  passing  wind?  Shall  the 
knowledge  and  the  thoughts  of  men  be  handed  down  in 
endless  genealogy,  teaching  and  inspiring  the  souls  of 
other  times;  and  shall  the  conscious  creature  which 
called  them  into  being  be  blotted  ignominiously  from 
creation?  Impossible!  It  cannot  be,  but  that  they, 
through  the  medium  of  whose  thought  we  now  gaze  at 
the  skies,  witness  elsewhere  the  excellence  of  their  past 
toils,  the  triumphs  of  their  studious  meditations.  Surely 
the  heavens  which  they  deciphered,  they  behold  with 
eyes  undimmed  by  age,  and  minds  yet  yearning,  but  in  a 
spirit  of  profounder  adoration,  to  press  forward  towards 
vaster  disclosures  of  the  infinitude  of  God." 

Teachings. 

As  the  Sun,  by  his  all-pervading  gravitation,  brings 
forward  all  the  globes  of  the  system  to  every  position  and 
point  in  their  circuits,  at  the  exact  and  predicted  moment; 
— so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness^  hy  his  all-emhracing  provi- 
dence^ brings  forward  every  event  relating  to  his  church 
and  the  icorld,  at  the  precise  time  afore  appointed. 

Science  has  no  better  proof  to  offer  of  its  truth  and 
certainty  than  its  conferring  on  its  votaries  the  power  of 
foretelling  issues  or  results.  The  chemist  can  give  no 
evidence  more  convincins:  of  the  soundness  of  his  knowl- 
edge  than  by  announcing  beforehand  what  will  follow 
the  combination  of  certain  gases,  or  what  will  be  the 
distinctive  product  of  the  union  of  certain  elements. 
And  the  astronomer  can  supply  no  demonstration  so 
conclusive  and  irresistible  of  the  correctness  of  the  Coper- 
nican  system,  and  of  the  truth  of  Newton's  laws  of 
motion  and  gravitation,  as  his  predictions  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  planets,  the  time  of  eclipses,  the  occurrence 
of  transits,  and  the  return  of  long  absent  comets.     Even 


654  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

SO,  no  stronger  proof  of  the  truth  and  divine  origin  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  could  be  given  or  desired  than  the 
fulfilment  or  verification  of  the  numerous  and  diversified 
predictions  which  are  found  in  them.  Holy  men  of  old 
— not  by  superior  sagacity  to  discern  the  tendency  of 
any  laws  of  moral  gravitation,  or  by  clearer  intellect  to 
apply  any  principles  of  the  political  calculus,  but — by 
inspiration  of  God,  were  enabled  to  predict  coming  events, 
coming  changes  and  revolutions,  judgments  and  mercies; 
the  rise  and  fall  of  nations ;  the  careers  of  ruthless  con- 
querors; the  growth,  glory  and  decline  of  proud  and  opu- 
lent cities  ;  the  appearing  of  timely  deliverers  or  illustrious 
benefactors  of  mankind,  who  should  be  as  the  rising  of 
unsullied  orbs  shedding  holy  light  far  and  wide  over  the 
face  of  earth.  And  lo !  all  these  have  been  brought  to 
pass,  even  at  the  time  and  in  the  manner  they  were  fore- 
told. And  this  bears  a  testimony,  such  as  nothing  else 
can,  to  the  verity  and  heavenly  origin  of  the  records  in 
which  these  marvellous  predictions  now  are  found.  Thus 
religion  has  proofs  positive  of  the  same  nature  and  order 
as  those  which  establish  the  most  exact  of  our  sciences. 

In  order  to  appreciate  these  proofs  more  fully,  let  us 
now  look  at  a  few  of  them  a  little  in  detail. 

The  fallen  race  of  men,  waxing  worse  and  worse 
through  the  first  period  of  their  probation,  and  having 
proved  themselves  utterly  incorrigible,  nothing  seemed 
to  remain  but  their  extermination  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Hence  it  w^as  clearly  foretold  what  their  fate 
would  be :  "  My  Spirit  shall  not  alwa3's  strive  with  man, 
for  that  he  also  is  flesh.  I  will  destroy  man  whom  I  have 
created  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Yet,  his  days  shall 
be  an  hundred  and  twenty  years." '"''  When  these  years  of 
further  forbearance  shall  have  expired,  being  found  still 

*  Genesis  vi.  3,  7. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  055 

unrepentant,  the  threatened  judgments  will  as  surely 
descend  as  the  forecast  eclipse  of  the  Sun  or  moon  will 
come  to  pass.  And  it  was  even  so.  "  In  the  six  hun- 
dredth year  of  Noah's  life,  in  the  second  month,  the 
seventeenth  day  of  the  month,  the  same  day  were  all  the 
fountains  of  the  great  deep  broken  up,  and  the  windows 
of  heaven  were  opened.  And  the  waters  prevailed 
exceedingly  upon  the  earth ;  and  all  the  high  hills,  that 
were  under  the  whole  heaven,  were  covered.  And  all 
flesh  died  that  moved  upon  the  earth."  So  punctually  and 
so  signally  did  providence  fulfil  the  word  of  prophecy 
which  had  gone  before.  And  the  fearful  catastrophe  so 
strongly  and  lastingly  impressed  itself  on  the  mind  of  the 
Race  that  it  has  never  been  forgotten,  but  has  lived  and 
floated  down  through  all  the  ages,  in  one  form  or  another, 
in  the  traditions  and  writings  of  every  branch  of  the 
human  family.  The  mythologies  and  histories  of  the 
ancient  nations  are  full  of  the  remembrances  of  it.  In 
every  region  and  in  every  clime  of  the  globe  the  traveller 
meets  with  traces  or  traditions  of  the  Flood,  the  Ark, 
and  the  rescue  of  the  Favored  Few. 

The  waters  of  the  deluge  having  passed  away,  and  the 
whole  earth  being  left  before  the  family  of  Noah,  God 
revealed  to  him  the  division  he  purposed  to  make  of  it 
among  the  descendants  of  his  three  sons.  "And  he  said. 
Cursed  be  Canaan  ;  a  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be 
unto  his  brethren.  And  he  said,  Blessed  be  the  Lord 
God  of  Shem  ;  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant.  God 
shall  enlarge  Japheth,  and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of 
Shem ;  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant."  '^  Shortly 
after  tliis  prophetic  utterance  we  read  that  the  descend- 
ants of  Japheth  had  for  their  territory  the  whole  of 
Europe  and  its  surrounding  islands  :   "  By  these  were  the 

*  Genesis  ix.  25-27. 


656  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

isles  of  the  Gentiles  divided  in  their  lands;  every  one 
after  his  tongue,  after  their  families,  in  their  nations." 
The  children  of  Ham  had  for  their  inheritance  south- 
western Asia  and  adjoining  Africa :  "And  the  sons  of 
Ham  .  .  .  spread  abroad ;  and  the  border  of  the  Canaan- 
ites  was  from  Sidon."  And  the  descendants  of  Shem 
had  their  home  in  the  East :  "And  their  dwelling  was 
from  Mesha,  as  thou  goest  unto  Sephar,  a  mount  of  the 
East."  Thus,  the  respective  territories  of  Japheth,  Ham 
and  Shem  are  distinctly  outlined ;  and,  after  innumerable 
changes,  these  old  distinctions  remain  deep  and  clear  to 
this  day.  And  now  let  us  look  at  the  particulars  of  the 
prophecy  before  us,  and  see  how  they  have  been  fulfilled. 

The  descendants  of  Ham,  the  father  of  Canaan,  were  to 
be  "servants  of  servants,"  that  is,  the  lowest  and  basest 
of  servants.  Literally,  indeed,  has  this  prediction  been 
fulfilled.  The  continent  of  Africa  was  peopled  princi- 
pally by  the  children  of  Ham ;  and  who  that  has  traced 
the  history  of  that  great  division  of  the  globe  but  knows 
that  it  is  for  the  most  part  a  history  of  subjection,  servi- 
tude, and  degradation?  In  what  ignorance,  barbarity, 
3lavery  and  misery  has  the  greater  part  of  it  lain  for  ages 
upon  ages  !  And  what  multitudes  of  its  inhabitants,  in 
all  periods,  have  been  driven  as  beasts  to  be  sold  in  the 
market,  and  thence  conveyed  to  do  the  work  of  beasts 
for  the  other  branches  of  the  human  family. 

Again  :  "  God  shall  enlarge  Japheth."  And  it  was  so 
done.  The  territories  that  came  into  the  possession  of 
Japheth  were  truly  very  extensive.  Besides  the  whole 
of  Europe  and  its  numerous  isles,  they  inherited  Lesser 
Asia,  Media,  part  of  Armenia,  Iberia,  Albania,  and  those 
vast  regions  towards  the  north,  which  anciently  were 
occupied  by  the  Scythians,  but  at  present  by  the  Tartars. 
And  to  this  day  God  is  enlarging  Japheth ;  witness  the 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  657 

vast  colonies  of  his  descendants  in  modern  times,  how 
they  have  taken  possession  of  North  and  South  America, 
the  West  Indies,  Southern  Africa,  Australia,  New  Zea- 
land, and  many  other  islands  of  the  world. 

And  again  :  "And  he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem," 
that  is,  God  shall  dwell.  And  so  it  pleased  the  Most 
High  to  do  in  a  signal  manner.  The  most  distinguished 
branch  of  Shem's  family  were  the  Hebrews;  and  the  predic- 
tion was  fulfilled  when  the  Shecldnah,  or  Divine  Presence, 
rested  on  the  Ark,  and  dwelt  in  the  Tabernacle,  and  the 
Temple  of  the  Jews,  and  pre-eminently  when,  in  an  after 
age,  the  Word  who  was  with  God,  and  was  God,  pitched 
his  tent,  and  "  dwelt  among  them." — Thus  the  providence 
of  him,  who  guides  the  stars  in  their  courses,  guided  each 
of  these  branches  of  Noah's  family,  through  all  their  wander- 
ings, to  rest  in  their  respective  and  allotted  habitations. 

Notwithstanding  the  appalling  judgment  of  the  deluge, 
and  the  displeasure  of  God  against  the  wicked  and  his 
regard  for  the  righteous  displayed  therein,  mankind,  as 
they  multiplied,  rapidly  sank  into  the  same  depths  of 
darkness,  iniquity,  and  idolatry  as  before.  And  to  pre- 
serve the  knowledge  and  worship  of  the  true  and  living 
God  in  the  world,  the  great  Father  of  all  resolved  to 
choose  one  family,  and  place  it  under  a  special  dispensa- 
tion of  grace  and  mercy,  for  this  end.  The  head  of  this 
family  was  Abraham.  To  that  faithful  patriarch  it  was 
said,  "In  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed.  Know  of  a  surety  that  thy  seed-  shall  be  a 
stranger  in  a  land  that  is  not  theirs,  and  shall  serve 
them;  and  they  shall  afflict  them  four  hundred  years; 
and  also  that  nation,  whom  they  shall  serve,  will  I  judge; 
and  afterward  shall  they  come  out  with  great  sub- 
stance."*    All  this  was  promised  when  as  yet  Abraham 

*  Genesis  xii.  3,  and  iv.  13,  14. 


658  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

had  no  seed,  no,  not  even  a  child;  yet  as  time  rolled 
on  through  these  successive  centuries,  particular  after 
particular  was  infallibly  brought  to  pass  until  all  was 
fulfilled.  Thirty  years  after,  the  promised  son  was  born 
to  him — his  seed  increased  and  multiplied  rapidly — by  a 
chain  of  marked  providences  they  were  led  down  to 
Egypt,  and  dwelt  there — there,  in  the  process  of  events, 
they  became  bondmen,  and  were  long  sorely  afflicted. 
Bat  the  providence  that  was  over  them  was  unslumber- 
ing;  in  the  fulness  of  time,  by  a  series  of  stupendous 
miracles,  they  were  delivered  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
Egyptians,  and  brought  up  out  of  the  land  of  their  bond- 
age. And  thus  according  to  the  exact  words  of  the  Lord 
to  Abraham,  "  It  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  430 
years,  even  the  self-same  day  it  came  to  pass,  that  the 
hosts  of  the  Lord  went  out  from  the  land  of  Egypt." 
And  they  took  with  them,  not  only  "jewels  of  silver,  and 
jewels  of  gold,  and  raiments,"  but  also  "  flocks  and  herds, 
even  very  much  cattle."  So  punctually  and  so  com- 
pletely did  the  Divine  Providence  bring  about  all  that 
was  promised  to  the  "  father  of  the  faithful." 

In  the  dying  words  of  Jacob  we  have  another  remark- 
able prophecy;  it  is  concerning  the  destiny  of  his  twelve 
sons,  or  rather  of  their  posterity.  And  Jacob  called  unto 
his  sons,  and  said,  Gather  yourselves  together,  that  I  may 
tell  you  that  ivhich  shall  befall  you  in  the  last  days.'''  Being 
assembled,  he  addressed  them  individually,  and  described 
the  territories  which  they  would  respectively  occupy 
when  come  to  the  promised  land,  and  also  their  respective 
characters  and  histories  down  to  the  latest  era  of  the 
Jewish  polity.  To  speak  of  each  of  these  predictions  in 
detail  would  carry  us  altogether  beyond  our  proscribed 
limits.     Suffice  it  therefore  to  say,  that  the  subsequent 

*  Genesis  xlix.  1-28. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  659 

career  of  each  tribe  presents  a  literal  and  complete  fulfil- 
ment of  these  prophetic  utterances.  When  Joshua,  250 
years  after,  divided  the  land  of  Canaan  among  them  by 
lot,  the  lot  so  fell  out,  in  each  case,  as  to  be  in  perfect 
accord  with  the  words  of  the  dying  patriarch ;  and  the 
character  which  each  tribe  developed  in  passing  through 
its  predicted  vicissitudes  proved  equally  in  harmony 
with  the  same.  Some  learned  men,  particularly  General 
Valiancy  and  Dr.  Hales,  have  attempted  to  trace  out  an 
analogy  or  resemblance  between  the  twelve  tribes  and  the 
twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac ;  but  whatever  may  be  thought 
of  such  curious  comparisons,  certain  it  is,  that  the  Sun 
does  not  move  forward  through  the  circles  of  these  signs 
more  steadily  or  more  certainly  than  did  providence 
carry  each  of  these  tribes  through  the  course  here  foretold. 
Shortly  before  Moses,  at  the  command  of  God,  ascended 
the  mount  where  he  was  to  lie  down  and  die,  he  deliv- 
ered a  series  of  most  explicit  predictions  concerning  the 
future  conduct  and  history  of  the  Israelites  as  a  nation. 
Striking  as  these  predictions  are,  and  remarkable  as  has 
been  their  fulfilment,  space  will  not  allow  us  to  dwell 
upon  them  in  particular.  In  brief,  he  plainly  foretold 
them,  what  particular  calamities  would  befall  tliem  for 
their  defection  from  the  faith  and  worship  of  Jehovah — 
the  characteristics  of  the  nations  that  would  subjugate 
and  oppress  them — the  horrors  of  the  invasions  and 
sieges  which  they  should  endure — how  they  should  be 
rooted  out  of  the  land  which  they  were  then  about  to 
possess — how  they  should  be  sold  as  slaves,  and  scattered 
over  the  face  of  the  earth — how  thev  should  be  jifllicted 
and  tormented  in  all  the  countries  whither  they  should 
be  driven — and  how  they  should  become  an  astonishment, 
and  a  proverb,  and  a  by-word  among  all  nations.'"     In  a 

*See  Deut.  xxviii.  and  xxix. 


660  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

word,  SO  full  and  clear  is  this  prophecy  that  it  may  be 
regarded  as  a  historic  chart  of  that  people,  as  it  agrees  in 
every  particular  with  their  subsequent  written  history 
down  to  the  present  day.  Its  fulfilment,  like  a  map  of 
the  midnight  heavens,  stands  a  naked  and  undisputed 
fact  before  the  eyes  of  the  world. 

Passing  by  numerous  predictions  of  a  minor  character, 
we  may  next  notice  a  few  which  relate  to  the  most 
prominent  objects  in  human  history.  The  prophet 
Nahum  foretold  the  utter  destruction  of  the  city  of 
Nineveh,  while  it  yet  stood  in  all  its  strength  and  wealth 
and  splendor — that  it  should  be  demolished  partly  by 
fire  and  partly  by  an  overwhelming  flood — that  it  should 
be  taken  during  a  general  drunken  carousal — that  vast 
spoils  of  silver  and  gold  and  pleasant  furniture  should  be 
carried  away  from  it — and  that  it  should  be  made  a  deso- 
lation forever.  And  the  heathen  historians  Diodorus 
Siculus  and  Lucian,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  Hebrew 
prophet,  itHconsciousIf/  record  the  fulfilment  of  these  pre- 
dictions to  their  minutest  particulars.  And  the  relics  and 
records  lately  exhumed  from  its  ruins,  after  having  lain 
buried  for  twenty-five  hundred  years,  offer  a  most  won- 
derful confirmation  of  both. 

The  doom  of  Babylon  in  like  manner  was  clearly  fore- 
told by  both  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  while  it  was  even  at 
the  zenith  of  its  «;lorv.  The  Medes  and  Persians  would 
unite  their  forces  against  it — its  defenders  would  lose 
courage  and  become  as  women — its  river  would  be  dried 
up  and  the  enemy  enter  by  its  channel — it  should  be 
captured  in  the  night  and  during  a  great  festival — it 
should  remain  in  the  hands  of  its  captors,  but  change 
masters  once  and  a2:ain — its  maurnificence  should  fade  and 
its  glory  depart — and  ultimately  its  destruction  should 
be  rendered  as  complete  as  that  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 


I  o 


5S 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  663 

— beasts  of  the  desert  should  lie  down  in  it,  and  doleful 
creatures  occupy  its  pleasant  houses — pools  of  water 
should  rest  over  its  site — and  none  should  dwell  in  it 
from  generation  to  generation.  And  the  all-embracing 
providence  of  heaven,  in  its  steady  march  and  unfailing 
agency,  brought  all  these  things  to  pass  in  their  appointed 
times.  That  these  predictions  were  fulfilled  to  the  very 
letter,  we  have  the  abundant  testimony  of  Herodotus, 
Xenophon,  Quintus  Curtius,  Pliny,  and  Plutarch,  among 
the  ancients ;  and  of  a  multitude  of  travellers  and  ex- 
plorers, in  modern  times,  who  have  visited  and  examined 
its  mighty  ruins. 

The  fate  of  Tyre,  also,  the  mart  of  nations,  the  city  of 
merchant  princes,  while  yet  in  the  height  of  its  opulence 
and  power,  and  125  years  before  it  came  to  pass,  was 
clearly  foretold,  both  by  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel.  "  Behold,'' 
says  the  latter,  "  he  will  smite  her  power  in  the  sea,  and 
she  shall  be  devoured  with  fire.  They  shall  lay  thy 
stones,  and  thy  timber,  and  thy  dust,  in  the  midst  of  the 
water.  I  will  also  scrape  her  dust  from  her.  Thou 
shalt  be  sought  for,  yet  thou  shalt  never  be  found  again." 
And  all  this,  too,  came  to  pass  as  attested  by  Curtius, 
Joseph  us,  Arrianus,  Plut.arch  and  others.  Old  Tyre  was 
taken  and  destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar;  and  240  years 
after,  Alexander  besieged  New  Tyre,  which  was  situated 
on  an  island ;  and  to  reach  and  attack  it  he  formed  a 
mound  across  the  channel  which  separated  it  from  the 
main  land,  using  for  its  construction  all  the  ruins  and 
rubbish  of  the  old  city,  and  in  this  way  fulfilling  to  the 
very  letter  the  words  of  the  prophet,  "  They  shall  lay 
thy  stones  and  thy  timber  and  thy  dust  in  the  midst  of 
the  water." — Thus  these  mighty  cities,  and  others  like 
them,  which  once  flourished  at  the  zenith  of  earthly  glory, 
were  destined  within  their  determinate  time,  according 


664  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

to  the  sure  word  of  prophecy,  to  decline  and  set,  like 
unholy  stars,  to  rise  no  more. 

Descending  still  with  the  course  of  time,  we  come  to 
prophecies  in  the  book  of  Daniel  as  definite  and  certain 
as  the  predictions  of  the  astronomer's  calculations. 
Among  these  is  this  remarkable  one  (chap,  vii.) — that 
four  Great  Monarchies  or  Empires  should  successively 
arise  to  rule  the  world.  These  are  announced  under  the 
figures  of  so  many  great  and  symbolical  "  beasts."  The 
first  would  be  as  a  lolnged  lion  ;  royal,  strong,  courageous; 
rapid  in  its  conquests  and  extensive  in  its  territories ; 
but  whose  progress  after  a  time  would  be  checked,  its 
strength  weakened,  and  the  dominion  would  pass  into 
the  hands  of  another  people  and  another  line  of  rulers. 
These  would  be  less  noble  in  their  character;  their 
spirit  and  practices  would  be  more  like  those  of  the  hear  ; 
rough  and  ferocious;  crunching  the  bones  and  devouring 
the  flesh  of  the  neighboring  nations.  In  its  turn  this 
dynasty  likewise  would  be  overthrown,  and  succeeded  by 
a  conqueror,  whose  movements  would  be  so  sudden  and 
victorious,  marches  so  swift  as  to  be  comparable  only  to  a 
lithe  leopard  having  four  icings  ;  but  his  career  would  be 
of  short  duration ;  and  his  vast  dominions  would  soon  be 
divided  into  four  inferior  kingdoms.  After  these  would 
arise  another  empire,  powerful  and  cruel  and  irresistible, 
likened  unto  a  beast  dreadful  and  terrible,  and  strong 
exceedingly,  leaving  great  iron  teeth,  and  devouring  and 
breaking  in  pieces,  and  stamping  under  its  feet  all  that 
opposed  or  stood  in  its  way  to  universal  dominion  ;  but 
the  time  would  come  when  this  immense  empire,  like  the 
preceding,  would  be  divided  into  no  less  than  ten  petty 
kingdoms ;  and  thus  would  its  power  decline  and  its 
glory  fade  away.  Such,  in  brief,  are  these  remarkable 
predictions,  whose  scenes  and  revolutions  extend  over  a 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  665 

period  of  more  than  a  thousand  years.  And  no  one  who 
possesses  the  slightest  acquaintance  with  history  can  fail 
to  discover  that  the  subjects  to  which  they  refer  are  the 
Chaldean,  the  Medo-Persian,  the  Grecian  and  the  Roman 
empires,  and  that  all  the  particulars  which  the}^  embrace 
have  been  literally  fulfilled.  In  fact  they  present  the 
great  outlines  of  the  actual  history  of  this  long  succession 
of  ages,  the  rest  being  the  mere  filling  up  of  the  parts. 
The  astronomer  could  not  more  accurately  describe  the 
figures,  or  foretell  the  order  and  the  times  of  the  rising 
and  setting  of  the  great  constellations  of  heaven,  than 
the  prophet  has  the  character  and  the  rise  and  fall  of 
these  great  kingdoms  of  the  earth. 

Another  notable  prediction  of  Daniel  is  that  concerning 
the  advent  of  the  Messiah,  in  which  are  stated  the  exact 
number  of  years  till  his  appearance  as  a  Teacher  sent 
from  God,  and  the  precise  date  at  which  he  would  be  cut 
off  as  a  sacrifice  for  the  sin  of  the  world.  It  runs  thus : 
— "  Seventy  weeks  are  determined  upon  thy  people,  and 
upon  thy  holy  city,  to  finish  the  transgression,  and  to 
make  an  end  of  sins,  and  to  make  reconciliation  for 
iniquity,  and  to  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness,  and  to 
seal  up  the  vision  and  prophecy,  and  to  anoint  the  Most 
Holy.  Know  therefore  and  understand,  that  from  the 
going  forth  of  the  commandment  to  restore  and  build 
.  Jerusalem  unto  the  Messiah  the  Prince  shall  be  seven 
weeks  and  threescore  and  two  weeks  ....  And  after 
threescore  and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut  off,  but 
not  for  himself  ....  And  he  shall  confirm  the  covenant 
with  many  for  one  week  :  and  in  the  midst  of  the  week 
he  shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and  oblation  to  cease."  Let 
the  reader  carefully  observe  the  chronological  points  in 
this  prophecy.  Seventy  ireehs  are  determined:  here  a 
day  stands  for  a  year,  as  the  connection  indicates,  and  as 


666  THE    CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

is  elsewhere  plainly  stated,  "  I  have  appointed  thee  each 
day  for  a  year."  By  "  seventy  weeks,"  or  490  days, 
therefore,  are  meant  490  years.  From  the  going  forth 
of  the  commandment  to  restore  and  build  Jerusalem  ujito 
tJw  Messiah  the  Prince  shall  be  seven  weeks  and  threescore 
arid  two  weeks.  Now  the  edict  to  rebuild  Jerusalem  was 
issued  by  Artaxerxes  Longimanus,  in  the  twentieth  year 
of  his  reign,  which  corresponded  to  the  year  454  b.  c. 
From  this  date  to  the  appearing  of  Messiah  was  to  be 
"  seven  weeks  and  threescore  and  two  weeks,"  or  69 
weeks,  or  483  years;  and  483  years  bring  us  down  to 
A.  D,  29  ;  just  the  time  when  Jesus  by  his  public  bap- 
tism in  Jordan,  and  by  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
upon  him,  assumed  the  office  and  work  of  the  Messiah — 
and  when,  as  the  evangelist  Luke  tells  us,  "  Jesus  him- 
self began  to  be  about  thirty  years  of  age."  Afterwards 
Messiah  shall  be  cut  off,  but  not  for  himsdf .  .  .  in  the 
midst  of  the  week  he  shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and  oblation 
to  cease,  that  is,  in  the  midst  of  the  "seventieth"  or 
remaining  week.  Now,  it  is  well  known  that  the  Saviour's 
ministry  lasted  just  three  years  and  a  half,  or  into  the 
midst  of  this  prophetic  week,  when  he  was  cut  off  by 
crucifixion.  Then,  and  thereb}^,  "  He  caused  the  sacrifice 
and  the  oblation  to  cease;"  that  is,  so  far  as  the  Divine 
intention  in  the  appointment  of  these  sacrifices  and  obla- 
tions was  concerned,  they  ceased  at  the  death  of  Christ 
— ^in  the  middle  of  the  week.  Then  the  great  sacrifice 
which  they  had  adumbrated  was  offered.  They  ceased 
to  have  any  significancy,  no  reason  existing  for  their 
longer  continuance. — So  clear  and  definite  were  the 
prophet's  utterances,  and  so  punctual  and  exact  was 
their  fulfilment.  After  all  the  chancres  and  revolutions, 
of  six  successive  centuries,  the  prophecy  and  history 
correspond  with  each  other,  even  to  a  year,  and  the  frac- 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  667 

tion  of  a  year !  With  such  facts  as  these  before  him,  who 
but  must  acknowledge  that  "  holy  men  of  old  spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost?" 

The  glance  we  have  now  taken,  rapid  as  it  has  been, 
of  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  as  attested  by  the  actual 
and  written  history  of  mankind,  offers  a  clear  demonstra- 
tion that  the  world  with  all  its  affairs  and  interests  is 
under  the  conduct  and  direction  of  a  Providence — a  Provi- 
dence as  universal  and  infallible  in  its  agency  as  is  the 
force  of  gravity  in  its  action.  How  otherwise,  out  of  the 
chaos  of  human  actions,  their  vices  and  crimes,  iniquities 
and  idolatries,  plots  and  intrigues,  wars  and  revolutions, 
running  without  counsel  or  concert  through  periods  of 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  years, — could  such  definite 
and  certain  results  be  evolved,  and  evolved,  too,  at  the 
precise  time,  in  the  precise  manner,  and  by  the  precise 
means  foretold  and  promised  ?  It  is,  moreover,  obvious 
hence,  that  the  Divine  Providence  consists  not,  as  some 
suppose,  in  occasional  and  unrelated  interpositions  in  the 
aifairs  of  men,  but  is  a  supervision  and  control  as  all- 
embracing  and  unremitting  in  their  activity  as  is  the 
great  force  that  regulates  the  motions  of  the  universe. 
It  correlates  and  unites  all  that  transpires  in  the  history 
of  the  nation  and  in  the  life  of  the  individual,  into  a 
harmonious,  and  effective  system.  Every  agent  is  brought 
forward  in  its  proper  place,  every  force  and  influence 
presses  in  its  right  direction,  every  change  and  connection 
is  effected  at  its  set  time,  "for  to  do  whatsoever  his  hand 
and  his  counsel  determined  before  to  be  done." 

'■  Blessed  be  the  Most  High,  and  honor  and  praise  be 
unto  him  that  liveth  forever,  whose  dominion  is  an  ever- 
lasting dominion,  and  whose  kingdom  is  from  generation 
to  generation;  he  doeth  according  to  his  will  in  the  armies 
of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth." 


668  THE   CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 


ANALOGY  VIII. 

As  the  Swn's  gravitation^  lights  heat,  and  actinism,  having  in  their  out- 
ward flow  bathed  our  globe  on  every  side  with  their  vital  influences,  sweep 
onxoard  still,  in  undiminished  fulness,  to  do  the  same  for  other  globes 
that  roll  beyond; — so  the  incarnation,  ministry,  and  atonement  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  while  proffering  an  ample  and  suitable  provision 
for  all  the  wants  and  woes  of  sinful  humanity,  may,  in  all  their  plenitude 
of  grace,  pass  on  to  benefit  and  to  bless  the  jjopidations  of  other  worlds. 

Phenomena. 

The  science  now  called  Astronomy,  without  doubt, 
had  its  origin  in  the  contemplation  of  the  Sun,  and  its 
apparent  motion  from  day  to  day  through  the  heavens. 
And  it  would  be  interesting,  did  our  space  and  plan 
allow,  to  trace,  as  history  enables,  the  persevering  study 
and  efforts  of  men  to  unravel  and  explain  the  mystery 
in  which  its  revolutions  seem  to  be  involved.  It  was  by 
various  and  long-continued  observations,  and  b}^  a  grad- 
ual process  of  thoughtful  reasoning  upon  those  observa- 
tions that  a  few  gifted  minds  at  length  arrived  at  correct 
conclusions  respecting  its  true  position,  and  its  relation  to 
the  system  of  nature  at  large.  The  common  idea  enter- 
tained through  all  the  earlier  ages  of  the  world's  history 
was,  that  the  Sun  was  a  mere  appendage  of  the  earth, 
and  that  the  sole  purpose  of  its  creation  was  to  give  light 
and  warmth  to  the  creatures  that  inhabited  it.  Nor  have 
the  vast  majority  of  our  race  to  this  day  attained  to  more 
worthy  views.  But,  happily,  the  times  of  this  ignorance 
with  us  have  passed  away;  all  persons  of  ordinary  educa- 
tion now  know  that  the  Sun  is  the  common  centre,  the 
common  head,  and  ruler,  and  benefactor  of  a  great/awzVy 
of  similar  worlds;  that  to  all  the  globes  embraced  in  the 
solar  system  it  sustains  the  same  relation  and  performs 
the  same  offices  as  to  our  own.     What  the  Sun  is  to 


CENTRE   OF   GRAVITATION.  669 

the  earth  he  is  to  each  of  the  planetary  globes  that  en- 
circle it. 

The  Sun's  gravitation,  which  guides  and  preserves  the 
earth  in  its  appointed  orbit,  measures  out  its  years,  and 
secures  for  it  all  the  advantages  of  regularly  recurring 
seasons,  performs  the  same  function  for  all  the  other 
planets,  whether  large  or  small,  nearer  or  more  remote. 

And  the  Viglit  of  the  Sun,  which  daily  illumines  the 
face  of  the  earth,  illumines  in  like  manner  the  fiice  of 
every  member  of  his  great  household.  The  ether  waves 
which  perpetually  emanate  from  his  glowing  sphere,  and 
bathe  our  own  planet  in  an  ocean  of  light,  sweep  onward 
and  bathe  all  the  others  that  lie  beyond  even  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  system. 

The  heat  and  chemical  poicer  of  the  Sun,  also,  which 
are  productive  of  so  many  beneficent  results  on  the  earth, 
are  conveyed  in  the  same  weaves  to  every  planet  and  sat- 
ellite of  the  vast  scheme  to  which  we  belong.  What  our 
globe  intercepts  and  receives  of  these  does  not  appreciably 
diminish  the  fulness  or  the  force  of  those  waves  to  supply 
other  worlds.  Of  the  whole  amount  of  light,  and  heat, 
and  actinic  influence  thrown  out  by  the  Sun,  from  his 
entire  surface,  the  earth  takes  up  less  than  o»e-2000,000,- 
000th  part.  The  rest  passes  on  to  serve  other  planets, 
and  to  do  other  work  in  tlie  great  scheme  of  creation 
which  we  know  nothing  about. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  magnetism  of  the  Sun.  He 
is  the  grand  centre  of  this  mysterious  force.  The  earth, 
as  shown  in  a  preceding  chapter,  is  in  perpetual  mag- 
netic sympathy  with  the  Sun.  And  no  commotion,  or 
unusual  disturbance,  can  take  place  in  the  solar  photo- 
sphere, but  will  sensibly  affect  our  whole  globe,  some- 
times setting  every  compass  needle  in  a  quiver,  confound- 
ing telegraphic  messages  in  their  flight  along  the  wires, 
41 


G70  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

throbbing  through  the  earth  and  the  atmosphere,  and 
overspreading  the  firmament  of  every  clime  with  the 
magnificent  displays  of  the  Aurora.  And  the  magnetic 
influence  proceeding  from  the  Sun,  which  thus  affects 
our  own  globe,  must  affect  all  the  other  globes  of  the  sys- 
tem in  like  manner.  Mercury  and  Venus,  being  so  much 
nearer  the  Sun,  must  respond  even  more  swiftly  and  more 
distinctly  to  these  influences  than  our  own  planet.  But 
those  that  lie  beyond  are  quickly  reached  and  roused. 
With  the  speed  of  light  the  magnetic  impulses  sweep  on 
to  ruddy  Mars.  Next  the  vast  globe  of  Jupiter  is  thrilled 
from  pole  to  pole  as  the  magnetic  wave  rolls  in  upon  it; 
then  Saturn  feels  the  shock;  and  then  the  vastly  more 
remote  Uranus  and  Neptune  are  swept  by  the  ever-widen- 
ing wave; — and  who  shall  tell,  us  where  that  wave  dies 
out,  or  whether  its  influence  ever  becomes  extinct? 

Thus  we  see  that  the  Sun  is  the  common  head,  and 
ruler,  and  benefiictor  of  the  whole  system,  and  that  what 
he  does  for  our  own  planet  he  does  for  all  the  rest.  Like 
the  earth,  all  are  dependent  upon  and  governed  by  him. 
Like  the  earth,  all  are  enlightened,  and  warmed,  and 
stimulated  by  his  beams.  And,  like  the  earth,  all  are 
related  to  him  in  one  common  bond  of  magnetic  sympa- 
thy. This  general  correspondence  and  similarity  have 
naturally  suggested  the  inference,  that,  like  the  earth 
also,  the  other  planets  may  be  the  abodes  of  life  and  intel- 
ligence. And  this  interesting  supposition  receives  no 
little  additional  strength  as  well  as  confirmation  from  a 
number  of  other  specific  analogies  discovered  to  exist 
between  our  globe  and  each  of  the  other  planets  of  the 
system.  These  analogies  have  been  stated  with  great 
force  and  clearness  by  a  distinguished  Scotch  divine: 

"Now,  what  is  the  fair  and  obvious  presumption?"  he 
asks.     "  The  world,  in  which  we  live,  is  a  round  ball  of 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  ^7f 

determined  magnitude,  and  occupies  its  own  place  in  the 
firmament.  But  when  we  explore  the  unlimited  tracts 
of  space,  which  is  everywhere  around  us,  we  meet  with 
other  balls  of  equal  or  superior  magnitude,  and  from 
which  our  earth  would  either  be  invisible,  or  appear  as 
small  as  any  of  those  twinkling  stars  which  are  seen  on 
the  canopy  of  heaven.  Why  then  suppose  that  this  lit- 
tle spot.  !ittle  at  least  in  the  immensity  which  surrounds  it, 
should  be  the  exclusive  abode  of  Hfe  and  of  intelligence? 
What  reason  to  think  that  those  mightier  globes  which 
roll  in  other  parts  of  the  creation,  and  which  we  have  dis- 
covered to  be  worlds  in  magnitude,  are  not  also  worlds  in 
use  and  dignity?  Why  should  Ave  think  that  the  great 
Architect  of  nature,  supreme  in  wisdom  as  he  is  in  power, 
would  call  these  stately  mansions  into  existence,  and 
leave  them  unoccupied?  Are  we  to  say,  that  they  are 
so  many  vast  and  unpeopled  solitudes;  that  desolation 
reigns  in  every  part  of  the  universe  but  ours;  that  the 
whole  energy  of  the  divine  attributes  is  expended  on  one 
insignificant  corner  of  these  mighty  works;  and  that  to 
this  earth  alone  belongs  the  bloom  of  vegetation,  or  the 
blessedness  of  life,  or  the  dignity  of  rational  and  immortal 
existence? 

But  we  have  somethins;  more  than  the  mere  ma2;ni- 
tude  of  the  planets  to  allege,  in  favor  of  the  idea  that 
they  are  inhabited.  We  know  that  this  earth  turns 
round  upon  itself;  and  we  observe  that  all  those  celestial 
bodies,  which  are  accessible  to  such  an  observation,  have 
the  same  movement.  We  know  that  the  earth  performs 
a  yearly  revolution  round  the  Sun ;  and  we  can  detect 
in  all  the  planets  which  compose  our  system,  a  revolution 
of  the  same  kind,  and  under  the  same  circumstances. 
They  have  the  same  succession  of  day  and  night.  They 
have  the  same  a2;reeable  vicissitude  of  the  seasons.     To 


672  THE    CELESTIAL    SYMBOL. 

them,  light  and  darkness  succeed  each  other;  and  the 
gayety  of  summer  is  followed  by  the  drejiriness  of  winter. 
To  each  of  them  the  heavens  present  as  varied  and  mag- 
nificent a  spectacle  as  to  us.  To  all  of  them  God  has 
given  the  Sun  to  rule  the  day;  and  to  many  of  them  has 
he  given  moons  to  rule  the  night.  To  them  he  has 
made  the  stars  also.  In  all  these  greater  arrangements 
of  divine  wisdom,  we  can  see  that  God  has  done  the  same 
things  for  the  accommodation  of  the  planets  that  he  has 
done  for  the  earth  which  we  inhabit. 

It  lends  a  delightful  confirmation  to  the  argument, 
when,  from  the  growing  perfection  of  our  instruments, 
we  can  discover  new  points  of  resemblance  between  our 
earth  and  the  other  bodies  of  the  planetary  system.  We 
can  now  see  of  one,  that  its  surface  rises  into  inequali- 
ties, that  it  swells  into  mountains  and  stretches  into 
valleys;  of  another,  that  it  is  surrounded  by  an  at- 
mosphere which  may  support  the  respiration  of  animals; 
of  a  third,  that  clouds  are  formed  and  suspended  over  it, 
which  may' minister  to  it  all  the  bloom  and  luxuriance 
of  vegetation  ;  and  of  a  fourth,  that  a  white  color  spreads 
over  its  northern  regions,  as  its  winter  advances,  and 
that  on  the  approach  of  summer  this  whiteness  is  dissi- 
pated— giving  room  to  suppose,  that  the  element  of 
water  abounds  in  it,  that  it  rises  by  evaporation  into  its 
atmosphere,  that  it  freezes  on  the  application  of  cold,  that 
it  is  precipitated  in  the  form  of  snow,  that  it  covers  the 
ground  with  a  fleecy  mantle,  which  melts  away  from  the 
heat  of  a  more  vertical  Sun;  and  that  other  worlds  bear 
a  resemblance  to  our  own,  in  the  same  yearly  round  of 
beneficent  and  interesting  changes. 

Thus  the  discoveries  of  science  give  us  to  see  that  yon 
Sun,  throned  in  the  centre  of  the  planetary  system,  gives 
light  and  warmth,  and  the  vicissitude  of  seasons,  to  an 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  ©73 

extent  of  surface  several  hundreds  of  times  greater  than 
that  of  the  earth  which  we  inhabit.  They  lay  open  to 
us  a  number  of  worlds,  rolling  in  their  respective  circles 
around  this  vast  luminary — and  prove,  that  the  ball 
which  we  tread  upon,  with  all  its  mighty  burden  of 
oceans  and  continents,  instead  of  being  distinguished  from 
the  others,  is  among  the  least  of  them.  And  we  should 
learn  hence,  not  to  look  on  our  earth  as  the  universe  of 
God,  but  one  paltry  and  insignificant  portion  of  it;  that 
it  is  only  one  of  the  many  mansions  which  the  Supreme 
Being  has  created  for  the  accommodation  of  his  worship- 
pers, and  only  one  of  the  many  worlds  rolling  in  that 
flood  of  light  which  the  Sun  pours  around  him  to  the 
outer  limits  of  the  planetary  system."* 

The  conclusion  thus  reached  by  natural  reason,  from 
the  facts  disclosed  by  science,  is  not  only  in  harmony 
with  all  that  is  revealed  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  but  re- 
ceives support  and  confirmation  from  not  a  few  intima- 
tions and  even  clear  statements  found  therein.  There, 
repeated  mention  is  made  of  other  ''worlds"  than  our 
own,  and  of  other  intelligent  and  moral  beings  than 
the  human  race.  In  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  we  read, 
"  God,  in  these  last  days,  hath  spoken  to  us  by  his  Son, 
whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all  things,  by  whom  also 
he  made  the  worlds."  And  again,  "Through  faith  we 
understand  the  worlds  were  framed."  The  earth,  there- 
fore, is  but  one  of  many  worlds  which  God  has  created 
and  framed.  The  inspired  Word  also,  in  sundry  places 
and  in  divers  manners,  speaks  of  various  grades  of  ra- 
tional and  moral  bein<2;s  of  a  nature  far  more  exalted  than 
man — of  angels  and  archangels — of  thrones,  dominions, 
principalities,  and  powers — of  cherubim  and  seraphim — 
and  of  the  hosts  of  heaven  who  worship  God.     It  also  in- 

*  Chalmers'  Astronomical  Discourses,  No.  1. 


674  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

forms  us  of  the  existence  of  another  class  of  beings,  the 
unholy  angels,  "  who  kept  not  their  first  estate."  And 
these  are  said  to  have  "left  their  own  habitation" — 
words  that  plainly  leave  us  to  infer,  that  these  several 
orders  of  angelic  beings,  holy  and  unholy,  have  assigned 
to  them  as  their  abodes  distinct  spheres,  or  local  habita- 
tions. Such  are  a  few  of  the  clear  testimonies  of  Scrip- 
ture to  the  doctrine  of  a  plurality  of  worlds. 

And  this  doctrine  once  admitted,  what  thoughts,  what 
contemplations,  rush  in  upon  the  mind !  When  we  lift 
up  our  eyes  on  high,  and  consider  not  the  planetary  sys- 
tem only,  but  the  starry  heavens,  the  suns,  and  systems, 
and  worlds  innumerable,  which  are  strewn  by  millions 
through  the  voids  of  unbounded  space ;  and  then  think  of 
all  these  as  peopled  with  myriads  of  intellectual  beings  of 
various  grades  and  orders — what  an  overwhelming  view 
is  opened  before  the  mind  of  the  greatness  and  glory  of 
Jehovah's  empire  !  "  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to 
be  praised;  and  his  greatness  is  unsearchable.  I  will 
speak  of  the  glorious  honor  of  thy  majesty,  and  of  thy 
wondrous  works.  Thy  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  king- 
dom, and  thy  dominion  endureth  throughout  all  genera- 
tions." 
,  Teachings. 

•  From  the  holy  Scriptures  we  learn  that  a  knowledge 
of  the  strange  and  amazing  work  of  human  redemption 
is  conveyed  to  other  worlds,  and  disseminated  among 
Other  orders  of  intelligences.  The  Bible  plainly  tells  us 
that  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  the  glory  that  should 
follow  are  things  over  which  the  angels  bend,  and  with 
special  interest  desire  to  look  into.  And  thus,  as  the 
Sun's  gravitation,  light,  heat,  and  actinism,  having  in 
their  outward  flow  bathed  our  globe  on  every  side  with 
^their  vital  influences,  sweep  onward  still,  in  undiminished 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  675 

fulness,  10  do  the  same  for  other  globes  that  roll  beyond ; 
— so  the  incarnation,  ministrij,  and  atonement  of  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness,  while  proffering  an  ample  and  suitable 
provision  for  all  the  wants  and  woes  of  sinful  humanity, 
may,  in  all  their  'plenitude  of  grace,  pass  on  to  henejit  and 
to  bless  the  popidatlons  of  other  worlds. 

The  wonderful  scheme  devised  and  executed  to  save 
Man,  revealed,  not  to  his  own  fallen  race  only,  but  to  the 
whole  intelligent  universe,  a  new  aspect  of  the  Divine 
character,  a  new  and  hitherto  unknown  attribute  of  their 
God  and  King.  And  to  all  holy  beings  such  a  revelation 
must  have  been  a  subject  of  contemplation  possessing 
supreme  interest — must,  indeed,  have  filled  them  with 
transports  of  wonder,  joy,  and  praise !  From  the  begin- 
ning they  had  known  and  admired  his  glorious  holiness. 
And  they  had  before  beheld  ample  manifestations  of  his 
power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  in  the  creation,  and  in  the 
arrangements  and  productions  of  a  thousand  different 
worlds.  And  they  had  witnessed,  too,  the  most  signal 
display  of  his  justice  in  the  condemnation  and  banish- 
ment to  "everlasting  chains  under  darkness"  of  their 
fellow-angels,  "who  kept  not  their  first  estate."  But  to 
the  unsearchable  nature  of  the  Deity  pertained  another 
property,  another  element  of  character,  which  they  had 
never  known — his  mercy — his  disposition  to  pity  and  to 
save  the  guilty.  This  was  an  attribute  they  had  never 
seen  called  into  exercise  till  manifested  towards  the  fallen 
race  of  earth. 

That  the  fact  of  man's  fall,  with  its  corrupting  and 
fatal  consequences,  became  known  at  once  to  angelic 
beings,  we  have  abundant  evidence  in  the  sacred  history. 
From  the  first  act  of  disobedience  in  the  Garden  down 
through  all  the  ages,  they  were  constant  witnesses  of  the 
foul  and  wicked  rebellion  carried  on  by  the  children  of  men 


(J76  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL, 

against  the  divine  law  and  the  divine  authority.  All 
along  they  saw  the  sin  which  abounded  in  every  corner 
of  the  earth ;  and  well  they  understood  its  malignity  and 
enormity  as  committed  against  the  high  and  holy  Majesty 
of  heaven.  They  knew,  too,  the  unswerving  justice  of 
God,  and  that  his  truth  would  bind  him  to  execute  his 
threatenings  against  the  doers  of  iniquity.  When,  there- 
fore, nothing  else  was  to  be  looked  for  but  the  visitation 
of  an  almighty  vengeance  to  sweep  them  all  away,  as  by 
one  fell  swoop,  to  everlasting  destruction,  such  as  they 
knew  had  been  inflicted  upon  their  rebellious  associates 
— oh,  with  what  intense  interest  and  overpowering  won- 
der must  they  have  watched  and  studied  the  advancing 
steps  of  the  Most  High,  when,  from  amidst  these  awful 
and  urgent  demands  of  immutable  truth  and  justice,  they 
saw  the  unfolding  of  the  attribute  of  Mercy — when  they 
beheld  the  Supreme  Lawgiver  himself  casting  upon  his 
guilty  creatures  an  eye  of  pity,  and  resolving  upon  a  plan 
of  unsearchable  wisdom  for  their  rescue,  and  their  resto- 
ration to  his  arms!  Oh,  surely,  if  in  view  of  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  work  of  creation,  "  the  morning  stars 
sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy," 
louder  far  must  have  been  the  hallelujahs  of  adoration 
that  now  rose  from  their  lips,  and  more  transporting  the 
anthem  peals  of  ecstacy  that  swept  as  a  tide  through  all 
their  ranks,  as  they  beheld  the  Just  and  Holy  One,  for 
the  first  time,  investing  himself  in  the  lovely  robe  of 
mercy  and  grace ! 

Never  did  scene  or  subject  so  engross  the  interest, 
and  entrance  the  spirits  of  the  celestial  hosts,  as  the  re- 
deeming work  of  the  Son  of  God.  They  watched  and 
attended  his  steps  through  all  his  mysterious  career  of 
humiliation,  suffering,  and  sorrow,  from  the  manger  to 
the  grave.     An  angel  bore  the  glad  message  to  the  Vir- 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  677 

gin  of  Nazareth,  that  "  the  Holy  Ghost  should  come  upon 
her  and  overshadow  her,  and  that  she  should  conceive 
and  bring  forth  a  child,  who  should  be  called  the  Son  of 
the  Highest."  An  angel,  accompanied  by  a  multitude 
of  the  heavenly  host,  announced  to  the  shepherds  the 
birth  of  that  Divine  Son.  Angels  ministered  to  him  in 
his  sore  temptations  amid  the  solitudes  and  wild  beasts 
of  the  wilderness.  An  angel  flew  tc  his  succor,  and 
strengthened  him  in  his  mortal  agony  and  bloody  sweat 
in  the  dark  retirement  of  Gethsemane.  An  angel,  whose 
countenance  was  like  lightning  and  garment  white  as 
snow,  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  his  sepul- 
chre. And  angels  attended  his  ascension  and  return  to 
sit  again  in  triumph  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father  Al- 
mighty. And  now,  the  mysterious  and  high  emprise 
being  accomplished,  as  they  see  how  in  virtue  of  his 
amazing  sncrifice  all  the  demands  of  a  holy  law  have  been 
satisfied — how  mercy  has  triumphed  over  justice,  and 
thrown  open  a  door  by  which  sinful  and  polluted  wan- 
derers may  be  re-admitted  into  fellowship  with  the  Holy 
God,  and  abide  forevermore  in  his  presence  and  in  his 
love — as  they  now  see  and  understand  all  this,  myriads 
of  rich  voices  break  forth  in  the  joyful  acclamation,  "  0 
the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness 
of  God!  how  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his 
ways  past  finding  out!  Glory  be  to  God  for  such  peace 
and  good-will  to  men;  glory  in  the  highest!  " 

We  are  not  left  to  suppose,  however,  that  a  knowledge 
of  the  great  work  of  redemption,  or  that  interest  in  it,  is 
confined  to  those  celestial  beings  that  minister  more 
immediately  around  the  Throne;  it  was  the  Divine 
purpose  that  all  created  intelligences  should  become 
acquaitited  v/ith  the  glorious  achievement.  Scripture 
informs  us  that  creation   has  its  provinces,  its  regions, 


678  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

and  its  spheres ;  accordingly  we  read  of  Thrones,  Domin- 
ions, Principalities,  and  Powers.  And  to  all  these  orders 
of  angelic  beings,  God  purposed  that  the  riches  of  his 
grace,  as  manifested  in  Christ  Jegus,  should  be  made 
known.  Thus  sj^eaks  the  inspired  Apostle,  "  Unto  me, 
who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace 
given,  that  I  should  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  to  the  intent  that  now  unto  the  PrinclpaHtles  and 
Powers,  in  heavenly  places,  might  he  known,  by  the  church, 
the  manifold  loisdom  of  God,  according  to  the  eternal 
purpose  which  he  purposed  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

Mi(jht  he  known,  hy  the  Church,  the  manifold  wisdom 
of  God.  In  the  beautiful  and  well-ordered  scheme  of 
Divine  Grace,  there  is,  indeed,  wisdom  as  well  as  mercy 
— profound  and  manifold  wisdom.  There  is  wisdom,  not 
only  in  the  wondrous  Sacrifice  by  which  salvation  is 
made  i30ssible,  but  also  in  the  means  adopted  to  apply 
the  remedy.  There  is  wisdom  in  the  agencies  employed 
to  enlighten  the  mind,  to  renew  the  heart,  to  sanctify  the 
soul.  There  is  wisdom  in  the  various  dispensations  by 
which  the  church  is  edified,  guided  and  brought  to  glory. 
And  of  all  this,  swift-winged  messengers  never  cease  to 
carry  the  glad  tidings  to  tiie  heavenly  hosts:  "  For  I  say 
unto  you  that  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels 
of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth."  And  the  troops 
of  released,  disembodied  souls,  too,  that  in  unceasing  suc- 
cession emii>;rate  from  the  church  militant  to  tlie  church 
triumphant,  bear  with  them  a  full  history  of  the  same. 
Each  of  these  has  a  tale  of  wondrous  mercy  and  of 
gracious  experience  to  relate.  And  all,  together,  serve 
as  a  perpetual  stream  of  fuel  to  the  fires  of  heaven's 
devotions,  causing  them  to  burn  brighter  and  to  ilame 
higher  evermore,  as  the  Redeemer  multiplies  the  triumphs 
of  his  Cross. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  679 

Nor  are  we  altogether  shut  up  to  believe  that  the 
direct  and  saving  efficacy  of  the  atonement  made  by  the 
Son  of  God  is  confined  to  the  race  of  Adam.  We  find  in 
the  scriptures  nothing  to  forbid  the  idea,  nay  we  discover 
there  various  expressions  that  seem  to  favor  it,  that,  as 
"  the  place  of  a  skull "  is  the  Calvary  of  the  human  race, 
so  this  particular  globe  may  be  the  chosen  Calvary,  the 
altar  of  atonement,  for  the  sin  of  the  whole  universe. 
''  Christ  was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many."  We 
have  no  express  information,  indeed,  whether  there  be 
other  worlds,  w^hose  populations,  like  ourselves,  have 
fallen,  and  have  need  of  an  atonement.  But  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  inspiration,  whose  eye  is  abroad  upon  ih^  face 
of  the  immeasurable  universe,  and  knows  the  history  and 
condition  of  each  globe  that  exists,  has  indited  these 
remarkable  revelations :  "  That  he  is  to  gather  together 
in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are  in  heaven, 
and  which  are  in  earth,  even  in  him  " — ''  That  at  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in 
heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth  " 
— "And  that  by  him  God  reconciled  all  things  unto  him- 
self, whether  they  be  things  in  earth,  or  things  in  heaven" 
— "And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  many  angels 
round  about  the  throne,  and  the  number  of  them  was 
ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of 
thousands;  saying  with  a  loud  voice.  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and 
wisdom,  and  strength,  and  glory,  and  honor,  and  blessing. 
And  every  creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  earth, 
and  under  the  earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all 
that  are  in  them,  heard  I  savin 2,  Blessinc:  and  honor, 
and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  hiui  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  forever  and  ever." 

These,   assuredly,   are   revelations,   by  whatever  rule 


680  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

interpreted,  that  open  up  before  us  vistas  broad  and  deep, 
through  which  we  obtain  dazzling  glimpses  of  the  mag- 
nificence of  the  economy  of  Redemption,  and  of  the 
exceeding  glory  of  the  final  issues  of  the  great  Sacrifice 
offered  upon  the  cross. 


ANALOGY  IX. 

As  the  Sun  himself,  in  obedience  to  the  universal  law  of  gravity,  is  inmotion, 
and  carries  with  him  the  whole  planetary  system  along  an  orbit  so  vast 
as  to  require  for  its  completion  a  period  beyond  all  human  compre- 
hension ; — so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  in  virtue  of  his  everlasting  love, 
will  lead  onward  his  ransomed  hosts  along  a  cycle  of  ages  beyond  the 
enumeration  of  men  or  of  angels. 

Phenomena. 

Among  the  ancients,  the  solar  orb,  unlike  the  earth  or 
anything  pertaining  to  the  earth,  was  regarded  as  being 
free  from  all  imperfection  and  exempt  from  all  corrupti- 
bility. The  Sun,  to  them,  was  the  type  of  absolute 
purity.  And  this  idea  was  handed  down  from  generation 
to  generation  unquestioned  and  undoubted.  But  about 
the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  of  our  era, 
when  the  telescope  was  invented,  this  favorite  notion 
received  a  profound  shock.  By  means  of  that  instrument, 
it  was  discovered  that  even  the  dazzling  face  of  the  Sun, 
which  had  always  been  deemed  immaculate,  was  marked 
by  numerous  dark  spots.  These  were  first  observed,  it  is 
believed,  by  Fabricius  and  Galileo.  And  it  was  only  by 
degrees  that  these  and  other  astronomers  could  bring 
their  minds  to  admit  that  they  really  belonged  to  the 
body  of  the  Sun ;  one  supposed  that  they  must  be  inter- 
cepting clouds,  and  another  conjectured  that  they  were 
planetary  globes  far  away  from  the  Sun  with  their  dark 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  681 

sides  turned  tow.ird  the  earth.  But  continued  observa^ 
tions  ere  long  dispelled  these  erroneous  ideas.  These 
spots  were  seen  to  advance  uniformly  over  the  Sun's  disc, 
till  they  disappeared  on  the  opposite  side ;  and,  after  an 
absence  of  as  many  days  as  they  had  been  visible,  reap- 
peared on  the  edge  where  they  had  been  first  noticed,  to 
pursue  the  same  course  again.  Repeated  observations 
of  these  movements  led  to  the  conclusion  that  they 
belonged  to  the  globe  of  the  Sun,  and  that  they  must  be 
produced  by  a  rotation  of  that  globe,  similar  to  that  of 
the  earth,  on  its  own  axis.  And,  in  a  short  time,  the 
period  of  its  rotation  was  determined,  and  found  to  be  a 
little  more  than  25  days.  This  was  an  important  dis- 
covery, and  one  that  speedily  led  to  others  of  equal 
interest  and  importance. 

The  fact  that  the  Sun  turns  upon  itself,  in  time, 
suggested  the  idea  that  it  must  also  have  an  orbital  or 
advancing  motion.  Lalande,  as  early  as  1776,  enter- 
tained tbis  opinion,  and  reasoned  on  the  subject  in  the 
following  manner :  "  The  rotation  of  the  Sun  indicates 
the  existence  of  a  translatory  movement,  or  that  the  Sun 
travels  in  space,  which  will  probably  be  recognized  one 
of  these  days  as  a  very  important  fact  in  Cosmology. 
Rotatory  motion,  considered  as  the  physical  effect  of  any 
cause,  is  produced  by  an  impulsion  communicated  from 
without  the  centre ;  but  any  force  applied  to  a  given 
body,  and  causing  it  to  turn  on  its  axis,  cannot  fail  to 
carry  the  body  along,  and  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  the 
one  without  the  other.  It  is  therefore  quite  evident  that 
the  Sun  must  reallTj  move  through  absolute  8j)ace ;  but  as 
it  carries  along  with  it  the  Earth,  and  all  the  other 
planets  and  comets  which  revolve  round  it,  we  cannot 
perceive  this  movement  unless,  after  a  lapse  of  centuries, 
it  be  observed    that  the   Sun  shall    be  found    to  have 


682  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

approached  nearer  to  certain  fixed  stars  than  to  others 
situated  in  an  opposite  direction.  In  such  a  case  the 
apparent  distances  of  the  various  stars  from  each  other 
will  be  found  to  have  increased  in  one  direction,  and  to 
have  diminished  in  another;  and  this  will  teach  us  in 
what  direction  the  Solar  System  is  travelling  through 
space."  * 

What  was  thus  but  a  theory  with  Lalande  was  after- 
wards proved  to  be  a  fact  by  the  distinguished  Sir  Wil- 
liam Herschel.  From  multiplied  observations  and  a 
careful  study  of  the  proper  motions  of  a  number  of  stars 
he  was  enabled  to  prove  that  the  Sun  not  only  moves, 
but  travels  towards  the  constellation  Hercules.  Fifty- 
years  later,  Argelander,  a  Prussian  astronomer,  from 
more  numerous  and  precise  data,  confirmed  the  conclu- 
sion of  Herschel.  Several  others  since  have  taken  up 
the  subject,  and  the  result  of  the  labors  of  all  these  is, 
that  it  is  now  resrarded  as  an  establ'.shed  fact  amonsi:  as- 
tronomers,  that  the  Sun  is  in  translatory  motion,  and 
that  the  direction  in  which  he  advances  is  alono:  a  risrht 
line  joining  the  stars  ^  and  ^,  in  the  constellation  'Hercu- 
les. This  motion  of  the  Sun,  according  to  Proctor,  ''is 
carrying  him  from  the  borders  of  the  southern  rich  region 
towards  the  borders  of  the  northern  rich  region  (that  is, 
rich  in  stars).  Of  the  true  habitudes  of  those  regions  of 
space  through  wliich  he  is  bearing,  and  has  lately  borne, 
his  family  of  planets  we  know  little.  But  as  we  look 
back  along  the  extended  track  he  has  pursued,  and  see 
the  richness  of  those  regions  he  has  left,  and  as  we  look 
forwards  and  trace  his  course  in  imagination  towards  the 
borders  of  that  rich  region  whose  glories  gather  into  their 
chiefest  splendor  in  Cygnus,  the  conception  is  suggested 
that  he  is  now^  winging  his  way  through  a  relatively  bar- 

-  See  Encyclopedic  MHhodique. 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  683 

ren  re2i;ion,  that  he  has  left  and  will  asrain  visit  more 
glorious  star-depths  than  those  through  which  he  now 
pursues  his  course." 

The  proper  motion  of  the  Sun,  and  the  direction  of 
that  motion,  being  determined,  the  next  question  which 
engaged  the  study  of  astronomers  was,  where  and  what 
is  the  centre  around  which  he  revolves?  After  numer- 
ous observations,  and  laborious  as  well  as  ingenious  cal- 
culations, this  mighty  problem  is  regarded  as  solved. 
Professor  Madler,  of  Dorpat  University,  has  located  it  in 
the  Pleiades,  which  is  the  nearest  and  richest  cluster  of 
stars  in  our  heavens;  and  the  star  Alcyone,  being  the 
brightest  of  this  group,  he  has  concluded,  must  be  the 
grand  centre  round  which  our  Sun  with  its  retinue  of 
planets  is  revolving. 

Madler  has  computed  that  the  distance  of  Alcyone 
from  the  Sun  is  no  less  than  34,000,000  times  the  dis- 
tance of  the  Sun  from  the  earth,  or  3,128,000,000,000,000 
miles — a  space  so  vast  as  to  require  537  years  for  its 
li2;ht  to  come  to  us,  although  moviuG;  at  the  rate  of 
twelve  millions  of  miles  per  minute.  The  speed  with 
which  the  Sun  advances  in  his  mighty  orbit  around  that 
distant  centre  has  been  computed  to  exceed  150,000,- 
000  of  miles  per  annum,  or  more  than  400,000  miles  per 
day;  and  the  period  required  to  complete  its  revolution 
to  be  no  less  than  18,000,000  of  years  !  What  distances, 
what  velocities,  Avhat  periods  are  these — reason  staggers 
and  imagination  grows  dizzy  in  attempting  to  grasp 
them  !  "What  a  diminutive  atom  is  what  we  proudly  call 
'"'our  great  world"  in  these  depths  of  space!  What  an 
infinitesimal  portion  is  the  lifetime  of  man,  yea  the  whole 
period  of  human  history,  compared  with  that  of  one  rev- 
olution of  the  Sun  around  its  sidereal  centre!  What  an 
humbling  lesson  to  human  pride!     "Lord,  what  is  man 


684  THE  CELESTIAL   SYMBOL. 

that  thou  art  mindful  of  him,  or  the  son  of  man  that 
thou  visitest  him?" 

There  are  those — and  they  scholars  of  no  mean  rank 
— who  maintain  that  the  germ  of  this  grand  physical 
truth,  the  discovery  of  which  constitutes  the  greatest 
triumph  of  human  science,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Sacred 
Book.  It  lies  enfolded,  they  think,  in  this  brief  but 
striking  question,  addressed  to  Job  by  God  himself  out  of 
the  midst  of  the  whirlwind,  "  Canst  thou  bind  the  sweet 
influences  of  Pleiades,  or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion  ?  " 

"  If  we  examine  the  text  in  the  original,"  says  Hugh 
Macmillan,  ^^  we  find  that  the  Chaldaic  word,  translated 
in  our  version  Pleiades,  is  Chimah,  meaning  literally  a 
hinge,  pivot,  or  axle,  which  turns  round  and  moves  other 
bodies  along  with  it.  Now,  strange  to  say,  the  group 
of  stars  thus  characterized  has  recently  been  ascer- 
tained, by  a  series  of  independent  calculations — in  utter 
ignorance  of  the  meaning  of  the  text — to  be  actually  the 
hinge  or  axle  round  which  the  solar  system  revolves. 
M.  Madler,  of  Dorpat,  has  found  that  Alcyone,  the 
brightest  star  of  the  Pleiades,  is  the  centre  of  gravity  of 
our  vast  solar  system — the  luminous /^mr^e  in  the  heavens 
round  which  our  Sun  and  his  attendant  planets  are  mov- 
ing through  space.  The  very  complexity  and  isolation 
of  the  system  of  the  Pleiades,  exhibiting  seven  distinct 
orbs  closely  compressed  to  the  naked  eye,  but  nine  or  ten 
times  that  number  when  seen  through  a  telescope — form- 
ing a  grand  cluster,  whose  individuals  are  united  to  each 
other  more  closely  than  to  the  general  mass  of  stars — 
indicate  the  amazing  attractive  energy  that  must  be  con- 
ceiitrated  in  that  spot,  .  .  With  this  new  explanation, 
how  remarlvably  striking  and  appropriate  does  the  or- 
iginal word  for  Pleiades  appear!  What  a  lofty  signifi- 
cance does  the  question  of  the  Almighty  receive  from 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  685 

this  interpretation !  *  Canst  thou  bind  the  sweet  influ- 
ences of  Pleiades  ? '  Canst  thou  arrest,  or  in  any  degree 
modify,  that  attractive  influence  which  it  exerts  upon 
our  Sun  and  all  its  planetary  worlds,  whirling  them 
round  its  pivot  in  an  orbit  of  such  inconceivable  dimen- 
sions, and  with  a  velocity  so  utterly  bewildering?" 

"  In  accordance  with  this  higher  interpretation,"  con- 
tinues he,  "  the  influences  of  the  Pleiades  may  be  called 
sioeet,  as  indicating  the  harmonious  operation  of  those 
great  laws  by  which  our  system  revolves  around  them. 
In  this  vast  and  complex  arrangement,  not  one  wheel 
jars  or  creaks — not  a  single  discordant  sound  disturbs 
the  deep,  solemn  quietude  of  the  midnight  sky.  Smoothly 
and  silently  each  star  performs  its  sublime  revolutions. 
Although  our  system  is  composed  of  so  many  bodies — 
differing  in  size,  form,  and  consistence — they  are  all  ex- 
quisitely poised  in  space  in  relation  to  one  another,  and  to 
their  common  centre;  their  antagonistic  forces  are  so 
nicely  adjusted  as  to  curb  every  orb  in  its  destined  path, 
and  to  preserve  the  safety  and  harmony  of  the  whole. 
Moons  revolve  around  planets,  comets  and  planets 
around  the  Sun,  the  Sun  around  Alcj^one,  and  Alcyone 
around  some  other  unknown  Sun,  hid  far  away  in  some 
unexplored  depths  of  our  galaxy;  and  grand  beyond  con- 
ception, this  cluster  of  systems  around  the  centre  of  ten 
thousand  centres — the  great  white  throne  of  the  Eter- 
nal and  the  Infinite;  and  all  with  a  rhythm  so  perfect, 
that  we  might  almost  believe  in  the  old  poetic  fable, 
The  Music  of  the  Spheres."* 

Teachings. 

As  the  Sun  of  Nature  thus,  in  obedience  to  the  univer- 
sal law  of  gravity,  is  in  motion,  and  carries  with  him  the 

*See  Bible  Teachings  in  Nature,  pp.  6-11. 
42 


686  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

whole  planetary  system  along  an  orbit  so  vast  as  to  re- 
quire for  its  completion  a  period  beyond  all  human 
comprehension  ; — so  the  Su7i  of  Righteousness,  in  virtue  of 
his  everlasting  love,  ivill  lead  onward  his  ransomed  hosts 
along  a  cycle  of  ages  beyond  the  enumeration  of  men  or  of 
angels. 

To  man,  life  is  the  antechamber,  and  death  is  the  door, 
to  another  and  an  enduring  state  of  existence.  And 
through  this  door  the  Lord's  redeemed  have  ever  been 
passing  in  a  continuous  stream,  ever  since  the  world  be- 
gan, to  meet  around  his  throne  in  the  glorious  world 
above.  On  bidding  adieu  to  earth  and  earthly  interests, 
they  ascend  "  unto  Mount  Zion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumer- 
able company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and 
church  of  the  first-born,  which  are  written  in  heaven, 
and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect,  and  to  Jesus  the  mediator  of  the  new 
covenant." 

To  the  beloved.  John,  it  was  given,  in  a  vision,  to  see 
this  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born. 
"  After  this,  I  beheld,"  saith  he,  "  and  lo  a  great  multi- 
tude, which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and 
kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues,  stood  before  the 
throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  \vhite  robes, 
and  palms  in  their  hands ;  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb."  And  concerning  this  happy 
and  exultant  throng  it  was  said  to  him,  The  Lamh  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead 
them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters. 

These  are  words  of  profound  interest  and  far-reaching 
significance,  and  therefore  demanding  serious  and  devout 
consideration.     First,  the  redeemed  are  here  assured  that 


CENTRE  OF   GRAVITATION.  687 

they  shall  be  furnished  with  nourishment  appropriate  to 
their  new  and  sanctified  condition — they  shall  have 
*'  food  "  and  they  shall  have  "  drink."  Now,  spiritual 
beings  need  no  flesh,  or  fruits,  or  fluids  to  sustain  them ; 
the  food  of  the  soul  is  truth,  and  the  drink  of  the  im- 
mortal mind  is  knowledge.  In  this  sense  the  terms  are 
used  in  the  scriptures.  Thus  we  read,  "  I  will  give  them 
pastors  after  mine  own  heart,  who  shall  feed  them  with 
knowledge  and  understanding.^^  And  our  blessed  Lord 
speaking  to  Peter,  saith,  "  Feed  my  sheep — Feed  my 
lambs,"  that  is,  instruct  my  followers,  young  and  old. 
And  Peter  himself,  employing  the  same  expression,  saith 
to  the  elders,  "Feed  the  church  of  God."  And  so  in 
regard  to  drink ;  our  Saviour,  speaking  of  spiritual  in- 
struction, says,  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
me  and  drink."  On  another  occasion,  he  saith,  "  Who- 
soever drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall 
never  thirst."  It  is  obvious  hence  that  the  food  and 
drink,  promised  to  the  assembly  of  the  redeemed,  are 
knowledge  and  instruction.  Second,  it  is  stated  in  these 
words,  that  the  fountains  to  which  the  saints  shall  be  led, 
unlike  stagnant  pools,  or  fitful  streams,  shall  be  fountains 
of  "  living  waters,"  that  is,  the  knowledge  and  instruction 
imparted  shall  be  like  perennial  siwings,  ever  fresh  and 
ever  flowing,  and  the  happiness  derived  therefrom  shall 
know  no  intermission  or  end.  Third,  it  is  here  expressly 
said  that  he  who  shall  communicate  this  knowleds-e  and 

o 

instruction  will  be  none  other  than  the  Redeemer  him- 
self, in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge :  "  The  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living 
fountains  of  waters."  He  himself  will  condescend  to  be 
the  Instructor  of  his  ransomed  people ;  He  himself  will 
ever  gratify  their  hunger  and  thirst  after  knowledge  by 


688  "THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

discoveries  and  revelations  of  the  works  and  ways  of  the 
Almighty  which  shall  fill  them  with  transports  of  won- 
der, love,  and  praise. 

Great  and  wonderful  as  is  this  promise,  its  significance, 
and  its  interest  to  us,  will  be  not  a  little  enhanced  if  we 
glance  at  what  is  said  in  the  scriptures  respecting  the 
enlarged  and  invigorated  capacities  of  the  saints  to  receive 
and  acquire  knowledge,  in  their  heavenly  state.  St.  Paul 
informs  us  that  the  views  and  understanding  which  they 
now  have,  compared  with  those  they  shall  have  in  heaven, 
are  but  as  the  ideas  of  a  little  child  to  the  thoughts  and 
judgments  of  mature  manhood;  and  that  all  the  knowl- 
edge which  they  possess  hero  will  vanish,  will  fade  as 
out  of  mind,  in  the  superior  light  to  which  they  shall 
attain  in  the  kingdom  of  glory.  He  expressly  tells  us 
that  our  powers  of  perception  there  will  be  as  superior  to 
those  w^e  have  here,  as  the  near  and  clear  view  of  an 
object  is  superior  to  the  faint  and  blurred  impression  we 
receive  of  it  when  seen  through  an  obscure  medium  : 
''  Now  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  fiice  to 
face."  He  assures  us,  moreover,  that  our  knowledge 
there  will  be  very  accurate  and  comprehensive:  *'Then," 
adds  he,  "shall  I  know  even  as  I  am  known," — a  state- 
ment that  clearly  implies  that  the  saints'  understanding 
shall  bear  some  fair  resemblance  to  that  of  their  Divine 
Redeemer,  and  that  their  knowledge  of  heavenly  scenes 
and  objects  will  be  quick,  certain  and  familiar  as  that 
they  have  of  their  immediate  friends  and  acquaintances 
on  the  earth.* 

From  all  this  we  may  fairly  infer  that,  the  saints  in 
heaven  will  not  only  be  freed  from  all  the  impediments 
-which  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  and  the  disorders  of  sin 
offer  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  but  also  be  endowed 

*See  1  Corinthiaus  xiii.  8-12. 


CENTRE   OF  GRAVITATION.  689 

with  invigorated,  and  perhaps,  altogether  new  faculties 
—with  powers  of  vision  capable  of  penetrating  substances 
that  are  now  opaque,  and  of  clearly  seeing  objects  that 
now  require  a  microscope  by  reason  of  their  minuteness, 
and  scenes  that  now  demand  a  telescope  on  account  of 
their  distance — with  auditory  organs  of  sensibility  to 
receive  the  most  exquisite  impressions  from  sounds  and 
voices  now  imperceptible  to  our  dull  ears — with  intellectual 
powers  to  take  in  at  a  glance  all  the  geometrical  princi- 
ples involved  in  the  orbits  of  a  whole  sytem  of  celestial 
bodies,  and,  without  pen,  or  paper,  or  numerical  charac- 
ters, to  perform  the  most  abstruse  calculations  respecting 
their  motions  and  interactions,  with  the  utmost  rapidity 
and  accuracy — and,  with  7noral  perceptions  and  sensi- 
bilities capable  of  duly  appreciating  every  exhibition, 
every  exercise,  every  shade  of  truth,  justice,  benevolence 
and  holiness,  and  that  with  infinite  delight.  In  addition 
to  all  this,  they  will  be  endowed,  like  the  angels,  with 
ahilify  to  transport  themselves  through  space  with  infinite 
ease  and  swiftness,  Moses  and  Elias,  we  know,  descended 
from  the  world  of  glory  to  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration, 
to  converse  with  the  Saviour  concerning  his  decease 
which  he  was  about  to  accomplish  at  Jerusalem,  and 
then  speedily  returned  again ;  and  all  other  redeemed 
beings,  doubtless,  will  possess  the  same  power  of  self- 
transportation. 

Thus  endowed,  thus  phjsically,  intellectually  and  mor- 
ally qualified,  to  engage  in  divine  studies  and  to  enter  on 
celestial  investigations,  "  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  to 
fountains  of  living  waters."  The  glorified  Redeemer  will 
discourse  to  them  on  themes  of  heavenly  wisdom,  and 
communicate  to  them  new  truths,  new  and  enlarged 
views  of  the  works  and  ways  of  the  Lord  God  Almighty* 


690  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

This  is  in  entire  harmony  with  what  we  read  in   the 
scriptures  from  first  to  last  concerning  the  dealings  of 
Heaven  with  men.    God  himself  held  immediate  converse 
with  man  while  in  his  state  of  innocence.     And  even 
after  his  fall,  he  sent  his  Son  to  dwell  among  them,  and 
to  teach  them  as  they  were  able  to  bear.     But  owing  to 
their  weakness  and  dullness,  he  had  many  things  to  say 
to  them  which  they  were  not  able  then  to  receive.     In 
heaven,  therefore,  where  they  are  delivered    from   the 
evils  of  sin  and  the  infirmities  of  the  flesh,  and  are  incom- 
parably better  fitted   to  receive  and  appreciate  divine 
instruction,  we  may  reasonably  believe    that  the  Holy 
Redeemer,  who  loves    them  with   an    unchanging  and 
everlasting  love,  will    communicate  to  them   new   and 
loftier  truths,  far  larger  and  more  worthy  views  of  the 
divine  character  and  divine  providence,  than  ever  entered 
the  mind  of  man  on  earth.     "  This,"  says  the  philosophic 
Dr.  Dick,  "  would  be  quite  accordant  with  his  office  as 
the  Mediator  between  God  and  men,  and  to  his  character 
as   the  Messenger  of  Jehovah,  and  the  Revealer  of  the 
divine  dispensations."     And  the  pious  Dr.  Isaac  Watts, 
in  his  sermon  On  tJie  happiness  of  separate  spirits,  says: 
'*  Perhaps  you  will  suppose  there  is  no  such  service  as 
hearing  sermons,  that  there  is  no  attendance  upon  the 
word  of  God  there.     But  are  we  sure  there  are  no  such 
entertainments  ?    Are  there  no  Lectures  of  divine  wisdom 
and  grace  given  to  the  younger  spirits  there,  by  spirits 
of  a  more  exalted  station  ?     Or,  may  not  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  himself  be  the  everlasting  Teacher  of  his  church? 
May  he  not  at  solemn  seasons  summon  all  heaven  to  hear 
him  publish  some  new  and  surprising  discoveries  which 
have  never  yet  been  made  known  to  the  ages  of  nature 
or  of  grace,  and  are  reserved  to  entertain  the  attention, 
and  to  exalt  the  pleasure  of  spirits  advanced  to  glory  ? 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  691 

Must  we  learn  all  by  the  mere  contemplation  of  Christ's 
person  ?  Does  he  never  make  use  of  speech  to  the  in- 
struction and  joy  of  saints  above  ?  Or,  it  may  be,  that 
our  blessed  Lord  (even  as  he  is  man)  has  some  noble  and 
unknown  way  of  communicating  a  long  discourse,  or  a 
long  train  of  ideas  and  discoveries  to  millions  of  blessed 
spirits  at  once,  without  the  formalities  of  voice  and  lan- 
guage, and  at  some  peculiar  seasons  he  may  thus  instruct 
and  delight  his  saints  in  heaven."  Yes,  doubtless,  he 
shall  lead  them  to  green  pastures  of  instruction,  and  to 
still  waters  of  contemplation,  wherefrom  they  shall  feed 
on  truths,  and  drink  in  knowledge,  which  delight  and 
transport  the  spirits  of  angels. 

Under  such  a  Teacher,  and  with  such  instructions 
repeated  at  stated  times  and  on  all  suitable  occasions, 
what  may  disciples  endowed  with  such  capacities  become 
in  the  course  of  the  centuries  and  millenniums  of  their 
unendino;  existence !  What  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge  will  they  gather !  What  harvests  of  happi- 
ness will  they  reap! 

Nor  yet  is  even  this  all — other  methods  and  other 
means,  we  have  grounds  to  believe,  will  be  employed  to 
instruct  and  felicitate  the  redeemed  in  glory.  As  the 
Sun  of  nature  carries  forward  his  whole  family  of  plan- 
etary worlds  amid  the  grandeur  of  stars,  and  constella- 
tions of  stars,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  may  conduct 
his  ransomed  church  from  world  to  world,  and  from 
system  to  system,  to  survey  the  power,  wisdom,  and 
goodness  of  God  as  displayed  in  the  magnificence  and 
glories  of  the  universe.  The  material  creation  is,  and 
was  designed  to  be,  a  manifestation  of  the  perfections  of 
the  invisible  Deity  to  his  intelligent  creatures,  and  there- 
fore to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  Hence  the 
celestial  regions  are  the  scenes  to  which  the  scriptures 


692  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

perpetually  refer,  as  presenting  the  most  instructive  and 
impressive  displays  of  the  Divine  attributes.  Thus  we 
read:  "The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  i\iQ  fir- 
mament showeth  his  handiwork."  "  By  the  word  of  the 
Lord  were  the  heavens  made,  and  all  the  hosts  of  them  by 
the  breath  of  his  mouth." — "  The  Lord  hath  prepared  his 
throne  in  the  heavens,  and  his  kingdom  ruleth  over  all." 
— "By  his  Spirit  he  hath  garnished  the  heavens." — "The 
heavens  declare  his  righteousness." — "The  heavens  shall 
declare  thy  wonders,  0  Lord."  These,  and  scores  more 
of  similar  passages,  plainly  teach  us,  that  it  is  in  the 
boundless  regions  of  the  heavens  that  the  glory  of  God  is 
most  conspicuously  displayed,  and  is  especially  to  be 
contemplated  by  all  devout  and  holy  intelligences.  It  is, 
therefore,  in  entire  accord  both  with  reason  and  scripture 
to  hold,  that  to  visit  and  survey  the  celestial  orbs,  and 
contemplate  the  manifold  works  of  God  therein  exhibited, 
will  be  the  privilege  and  the  happiness  of  the  redeemed. 
Angels,  we  know,  have  visited  our  own  globe  through 
every  period  of  its  history,  and,  all  unseen  by  mortal 
eyes,  have  been  close  observers  of  what  existed  and  what 
transpired  upon  it,  and  have  been  even  actors  in  some  of 
the  most  important  events  that  have  determined  the 
destiny  of  our  race.  And  we  are  expressly  told,  that  in 
the  resurrection  the  righteous  shall  be  as  the  angels, 
or  similar  to  the  angels.  And,  to  this  we  may  add,  as 
has  been  before  observed,  that  the  disembodied  spirits  of 
at  least  two  of  the  saints  have  returned  and  revisited  the 
world  they  had  many  centuries  before  forsaken.  Here, 
then,  are  clearly  revealed  facts  that,  not  only  counte- 
nance, but  lend  no  doubtful  support  to  the  animating  hope 
that  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  may,  in  like  manner,  visit 
other  worlds. 

In  these  sublime  excursions  they  will  ever  have  the 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  693 

presence  of  their  adored  and  loving  Lord,  for  he  is  every- 
where present.  Though  they  may  depart  from  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem  in  ten  thousand  companies,  and  pro- 
ceed in  as  many  different  directions,  each  company  will 
find  him  "in  the  midst."  Angels  also,  those  elder  and 
more  experienced  sons  of  God,  may  be  commissioned  to 
accompany,  and  to  instruct  them  concerning  the  things 
which  they  shall  behold.  And  what  a  scene  of  diversi- 
fied and  uncounted  wonders  will  each  rolling  globe  open 
before  their  view — what  physical  arrangements,  what 
natural  scenery,  what  productions,  what  grades  of  popu- 
lation, what  social  habits  and  occupations  !  If  our  own 
planet,  which  ranks  among  the  lesser,  contains  so  many 
myriads  of  created  wonders — so  many  mysterious  forces 
in  perpetual  action  and  interaction  in  sea,  and  land,  and 
air — so  many  minerals,  and  metals,  and  precious  things 
enfolded  in  its  bosom — so  many  scenes  of  grandeur,  fruit- 
fulness,  and  beauty  overspreading  its  surface — so  many 
electric,  chemical,  and  magnetic  phenomena  in  its  atmos- 
phere— so  vast  a  variety  of  vegetation,  of  trees,  plants, 
shrubs,  herbs,  and  grasses,  bearing  all  manner  of  fruits  and 
exhibiting  every  grace  of  form  and  beauty  of  colorings — 
so  many  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  living  crea- 
tures; fishes,  reptiles,  beasts,  birds,  and  insects;  each 
embracino;  in  its  constitution  a  concourse  of  wise  contriv- 
ances  and  happy  adaptations — so  many  millions  of  human 
beings,  diversified  into  distinct  nations,  tribes,  and  fami- 
lies— and  having  a  history  so  prolonged  and  so  crowded 
with  marvellous  events,  physical,  and  social,  and  provi- 
dential— that,  a  lifetime  of  incessant  mental  application 
is  insufficient  to  become  acquainted  with  the  hundredth 
part  of  the  facts  embraced  in  one  of  these  fields  of  study; 
if,  I  say,  our  smaller  world  contains  such  a  number  and 
variety  of  manifestations  of  the  Divine  Perfections,  what 


694  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL, 

may  we  suppose  will  the  redeemed  visitants  find  in  far 
more  spacious  worlds ;  in  the  ringed  Saturn,  or  the  belted 
Jupiter?  And  what  in  our  whole  magnificent  system, 
where  each  planet,  each  satellite,  differs  from  all  the 
others,  in  its  size  and  gravity,  light  and  heat,  soil  and 
atmosphere,  productions  and  living  tenants,  and  in  a 
multitude  of  other  particulars  ?  And  as  they  wing  their 
flight  from  One  to  another  of  these  spheres,  what  interest- 
ing accounts  of  their  physical  changes  and  formation, 
and  what  instructive  histories  of  their  inhabitants,  may 
their  angelic  guides  relate  to  them  :  and  what  divine 
lessons  may  they  deduce  for  their  benefit  from  all  they 
see  and  hear! 

But  our  system,  vast  as  it  is,  is  only  one  of  millions  of 
similar  systems  embraced  within  the  boundless  empire 
of  Jehovah ;  and  each  of  these  systems  may  differ  from 
all  other  systems  in  its  whole  constitution  and  economy 
as  widely  as  one  globe  differs  from  another.  Our  Sun 
with  its  system  belongs  to  the  cluster  of  stars  which  co:> 
stitute  what  is  called  the  "  Milky  Way,"  and  this  Milky 
Way,  according  to  Sir  John  Herschel,  contains  more  than 
5,500,000  stars,  each  of  which  is  believed  to  be  a  Sun, 
and  to  be  attended  with  a  retinue  of  planets  like  our 
own,  though  all  invisible  to  mortal  eyes.  What  then 
must  be  the  entire  number  of  planetary  globes  embraced 
within  the  bounds  of  this  whole  galaxy  !  But  again,  the 
Milky  Way  is  only  one  of  more  than  3,000  similar  galax- 
ies, or  nebulae,  that  are  visible  through  a  good  telescope ; 
these  lie  in  every  direction  in  the  immeasurable  depths 
of  infinite  space ;  and  who  is  able  even  to  conjecture 
what  other  numbers  may  exist  beyond  the  utmost  power 
of  human  ken  !  Behold,  then,  in  the  material  universe 
of  God  a  field  of  wonders,  wide,  and  deep,  and  high,  and 
vast  enough  to  occupy  the  study,  to  interest  the  minds, 


CENTRE  OF  GRAVITATION.  695 

and  to  inspire  the  devotion  of  his  saints,  through  all  the 
cycles  of  coming  ages,  and  beyond  all  conceptions  we  can 
form  of  absolute  eternity.  What  a  prospect  to  set  before 
created  beings !  What  a  hope  to  be  entertained  by 
mortal  men! 

When  the  redeemed  of  God,  in  the  possession  and  ex- 
ercise of  their  noble  and  invigorated  faculties,  and  under 
the  tuition  of  angels  and  the  Lord  of  angels,  shall  have 
thus  pursued  their  surveys  and  contemplations  of  worlds 
on  worlds,  and  of  systems,on  systems,  ever  coming  to  new 
revelations  of  the  riches  of  wisdom,  and  power,  and  good- 
ness of  the  Great  Jehovah,  and  ever  discovering  new  in- 
centives to  wonder,  love,  and  praise — when  they  shall  have 
thus  advanced  for  a  thousand  years;  for  a  million  of 
years ;  for  all  the  millions  of  years  occupied  by  the  Sun 
in  completing  its  revolution  around  its  distant  centre  in 
the  Pleiades; — what  will  these  beings  have  attained? 
what  will  they  be  in  knowledge,  and  wisdom,  and  happi- 
ness? But  when  imagination,  on  weary  and  flagging 
wing,  has  pursued  them  even  to  that  distant  point,  it 
must  return  and  leave  them  still  advancing  and  growing, 
still  progressing  towards  the  dimensions  and  excellencies 
of  the  Infinite — a  point  at  an  immeasurable  distance,  but 
toward  which  they  shall  be  eternall}^  stretching  away ! 

But  are  these  things  so  to  be?  Is  not  this  going  be- 
yond all  that  is  revealed,  and  forsaking  the  guidance  of 
all  sober  reason  ?  In  nowise.  Do  we  not  read  that  the 
love  of  Christ  for  his  people  passeth  all  understanding? 
Is  it  not  written  that  he  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abun- 
dantly above  all  that  we  ask  or  think? 

"Condemn  me  not,  cold  critic!  but  indulge 
The  warm  imagination;  why  condemn? 
Why  not  indnlge  snch  thoughts  as  swell  our  hearts 
With  fuller  admiration  of  that  Power 
Which  gives  our  hearts  with  such  higli  hopes  to  swell? 
Why  not  indulge  in  his  augmented  praise  ? 


696  •  THE  CELESTIAL  SYMBOL. 

Why  should  it  seem  a  thing  incredible  that  the  Son 
of  God  should  thus  entertain  and  reward  his  ransomed 
people  ?  Is  it  too  much  for  him  to  do  for  those  whom  he 
loves  with  a  love  that  passeth  all  understanding — loves 
with  everlasting  love  ?  Hath  he  not  already  done  even 
greater  things  for  them,  in  forsaking  the  throne  of  his 
glory,  descending  to  this  nether  and  obscure  world,  tak- 
ing upon  him  our  humble  nature,  and  subjecting  himself 
to  injury  and  ignominy,  to  agony  and  to  death,  that  he 
might  rescue  them  from  sin  an^  misery  ?  Oh,  after  this, 
surely,  surely,  nothing  can  be  deemed  too  great  for  him  to 
do  for  them  !  Having  thus  ransomed  them  at  an  immeas- 
urable price  of  humiliation,  and  sorrow,  and  suffering,  is  it 
too  much  to  say,  or"*to  believe  that  he  will  instruct  them, 
that  he  will  honor  them  with  the  ministry  of  his  angels, 
and  show  them  the  glories  of  his  kingdom  ?  Hath  he 
not  expressly  sought  to  banish  all  such  unbelief  by  assur- 
ing us  that  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  he 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him?" 

The  soul  of  man — the  ransomed  soul — is  great,  is 
precious  in  the  sight  of  heaven,  and  for  it  awaits  a 
glorious  destiny.  0  reader,  consider  what  thou  art,  and 
what  thou  mayest  become.  Honor  thyself.  Live  above 
the  world  thou  art  so  soon  to  forsake.  Live  for  God ; 
live  for  glory,  honor  and  immortality! 

Now  unto  Illm  that  is  able  to  do  exceeding  abundantlij 
ahove  all  thai  loe  ash  or  think,  according  to  tlie  jpowcr  that 
worheth  in  us,  unto  Him  he  glory  in  the  church  hy  Christ 
Jesus,  throughout  all  ages,  tcorld  without  end.     Amen. 


INDEX, 


THE  FIGUBE8  KEFER  TO  THE  PAGES. 


A, 

Abraham,  predictions  concerning,  657. 
Absorption,  of  rays  by  vapors,  219. 
Accessions,  of  knowledge  by  Christ,  132. 
Actinism,  action  of,  instantaneous,  643. 

Discovery  of,  537. 

When  strongest,  550. 
Age,  old,  comfort  in,  493. 
Airy,  Prof,  his  description  of  cwona,  365. 
Alchemists,  notions  of,  concerning  light,  181. 
Alcyone,  distance  of,  683. 
Alhazen,  his  study  of  light,  181. 
Allen,  Dr.  Z.,  his  theory  of  solar  heat,  414-417. 
Ambition,  views  of,  357. 
Anatomist,  encounters  mysteries,  196. 
Anaxagoras,  his  idea  of  the  sun's  size,  50 
Anaximander.  estimate  of  the  sun,  50. 
Angel,  an,  coBif  rting  Paul,  335. 
Angels,  exempt  fn^m  material  laws,  336. 

Man  to  be  their  equal,  337. 

Mercy  first  revealed  to,  676. 

Ministry  of,  332. 

Preseuce  of,  invisible,  547. 

Swiftness  of,  333,  335. 

A'isit  other  worlds,  336. 

Visits  of,  to  our  world,  331. 

Witnesses  of  Chiist's  career,  677. 
Angstrom,  on  spectral  coincidences,  222. 
Animals,  dependence  of,  on  sun,  431. 
Apostolate,  tlir'-e  types  of,  254. 
Archimedes,  burning  mirrors  of,  397. 
Aristotle,  teachings  of,  .309. 
Assembly,  the  general,  of  saints,  686. 
Astronomy,  built  on  a  mystery,  195. 
Athens,  full  of  idols,  88.  * 

Atmosphere,  constitution  of,  265. 

Carbonic  acid  in,  92. 

Density  of,  2.58. 

Design  and  adaptation  in,  265. 

Dry,  not  heated  by  the  sun,  514. 

Effects  of  rarefied,  261. 

Lessons  from.  206. 

Light  reflected  by,  259. 

Moisture  of,  41,  273. 

Moral,  purified  by  Christ,  99-101. 


Atmosphere,  of  planets,  39. 

Purified,  how,  65,  94. 

Solar  niys  modified  by,  549. 
Atonement,  efficacious  for  other  worlds,  679. 

Offered  once  for  all,  117. 

Kight  views  of,  227. 
Attraction,  what  if  suspended,  43. 

Of  the  cross,  587. 
Attribute,  a  new,  revealed,  675. 
Aurora,  periodicity  of,  570. 
Avarice,  a  disease,  357. 

B. 

Babylon,  capture  and  destruction  of,  660. 

Daily,  beads  of,  361. 

Barbadoes,  hurricane  in,  442. 

Beams,  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  105,  106,  224. 

Belief,  man  accountable  for,  602. 

Believers,  in  sympathy  with  Christ,  575. 

Bermudas,  hurricane  in,  442. 

Bigotry,  folly  and  evil  of,  113. 

Blanc,  Mount,  heat  on,  514. 

Blindness,  to  colors,  355. 

To  spiritual  things,  356,  359. 
Bouquet,  how  to  make  a,  239. 
Brazil,  luxuriant  vegetation  of,  497. 
Bunsen,  lamp  of,  216. 

c. 

Calvary,  a  scene  of  mysteries,  423. 

The,  of  the  universe,  679. 
Cambyses,  army  of,  destroyed,  445. 
Carbonic  acid,  production  of,  93. 

How  counteracted,  94. 
Cataract,  of  the  ej'e,  358. 
Caustic,  lunar,  effects  of,  539. 
Centennial  Exhibition,  426. 
Character,  a  perfect,  151-154. 

How  affected  by  the  gospel,  209. 

Phases  of,  251. 
Chemi-try,  of  the  sun,  S.^S. 

Proof  of  intelligence  in,  535. 
Chlorophylle,  nature  of,  553. 
Choice,  freedom  of,  191.  618-622. 
Christ,  apprehended,  rightly,  22G-230. 

Character  of,  perfectly  balanced,  152. 

(G97) 


698 


INDEX. 


Chhist,  character  of,  bannonions,  152. 

Character  of,  a  revelation,  58. 

Chaniitei  of,  sinless,  151,  lo8. 

Character  of,  unique,  150. 

Conquers  hy  love,  470. 

Death  of,  not  an  accident,  379. 

Entering  on  his  ministry,  98. 

Estimate  of  the  houI,  135. 

Exposition  of  the  law,  136. 

Life  and  light  of  Scripture,  44-49,  401-403. 

Foreknowledge  of,  Ca,  72,  420. 

God  seen  in,  78-SO. 

Healing  the  body,  101. 

Healing  the  soul,  lOJ-106. 

Humiliation  of,  421-423. 

Joy  uf  the  soul,  229. 

Love  of,  manifested,  3S0,  391,  420,  629. 

Not  an  enthusiast,  286. 

Not  an  imi)ostor,  284. 

Not  a  myth,  285. 

One  with  his  disciples,  629-631. 

Origin  of  gpiiitual  life,  435-437. 

Original  teacher,  130. 

Our  happiness,  402. 

Pel  fpct  in  life  and  teaching,  131. 

Poverty  of,  422. 

Pre-exi>tence  of,  68. 

Relation  of,  to  followers,  629. 

Re-cast  old  truths,  131. 

Saviour  for  all,  112-115. 

Sncial  evils  aliated  by,  106,  451. 

Softening  medium,  77. 

Sympathy  of,  030. 

Testimony  of  prophets  and  apostles  to,  58. 

Trials  ..f,  manifold,  159-161. 
Christian,  three  stages  in  life  of,  557-562. 

Wandering,  restored,  040-643. 
Chri>tianity  and  Chiist,  inseparable,  40.3. 

Peru  iar  doctiines  of,  315. 
Christians,  commission  of,  272. 

Conii)ared  t>  tlie  planets,  610,  611. 

Danger  of,  G12. 

Dear  to  Jesus,  629. 

Of  arctic  zone  growth,  502,   610. 

Of  temperate  zone  growth,  503,  610. 

Of  torrid  zone  growth,  504-512,  610. 

Photograph  their  likeness,  268. 

Reflectors  c,f  li._.!it,  2fi7,  271. 

Safety  of  012.  6. 0-643. 
CluiM),  his  estimate  of  Christ,  154. 
Church.  Christ  the  life  of,  436. 

In  symp.'ithy  with  Christ,  .574. 
Cicero,  doubtful  I'f  a  future  state,  134. 
Climate,  influence  of,  on  vegetation,  495-501. 
Clouds,  beauty  and  benefit  of,  476. 

Tnins])ortatiun  of,  477. 
Co.il.  extent  of  deposits,  66. 
Coats,  of  the  eye,  164. 


Color,  not  Inherent  Jn  substances,  245. 
Colors,  adapted  to  the  eye,  235. 

Association  of,  in  nature,  239. 

Blindness  to,  355. 

Blue  and  orange,  238. 

Compleniental,  235. 

Diagram  of,  233. 

Harmony  of,  in  nature,  237. 

How  produced,  185,  245. 

Importance  of,  in  nature,  248,  249. 

Importance  of,  in  science  and  art,  248. 

Of  i)luniage,  239,  501. 

Pleasure  imparted  by,  239. 

Primary,  three,  232. 

Prismatic,  149,  211.  , 

Secondary,  232. 

Tertiary,  232. 

Variety  of,  how  produced,  245,  250. 

Yellow  and  purple,  238. 
Comet,  Halley's,  650. 

Of  1680,  described,  649. 
Comets,  orbits  and  motions  of,  649-651. 
Commission,  of  Christians,  272. 
Compass,  mariner's,  origin  of,  563. 

Oscillations  of,  568. 

Periods  of  oscillations,  569. 
Condensation,  of  vapor,  475. 
Confucius,  teachings  of,  297. 
Conscience,  attests  God's  presence,  173. 

Authority  of,  over  all,  170. 

Common  to  all  men,  172. 

Devoted  to  one  office  only,  169.      * 

Decisions  of,  instantaneous,  170. 

Duty  to  enlighten,  172. 

Eye  of  the  soul,  lUS,  176. 

Essential  to  religion,  173. 

Gives  assurance  of  judgment,  175. 

Judgment  of,  according  to  light,  171. 

Power  of,  in  Mary  Magdala,  176. 

Power  of.  in  Peter,  179. 

Power  of,  in  Judas,  179. 

Power  of,  over  scribes  and  Pharisees,  176. 

Witness  for  God's  righteousness,  174. 
Constellations,  appearance  of,  83. 
Conversion,  of  Paul,  197. 

Paid,  Peter  and  John,  after,  253. 
Copernicus,  thenry  of,  001. 
Corliss  engine,  at  Ci'ntennial  Exhibition,  427. 
Corona,  solar,  description  of,  302,  416. 
Cross,  the  attraction  of,  5S0,  5b7. 
Crucifixion,  darkness  at,  389. 

Ominous  signs  attending,  379. 

Time  of,  foretold,  605. 
Crystallization,  magnetism  in,  566. 

Solar  agency  in,  204. 
Currents,  in  the  ocean,  429. 
Cyclones,  in  the  sun,  223. 

In  various  parts  of  the  world,  430-445. 


INDEX. 


699 


D, 

Dalton,  blind  to  colors,  364. 
Daniel,  predictions  of,  6C4-666. 

Visited  by  Gabriel,  333. 
Darkness,  all  in,  by  nature,  224. 

A  remarkable,  389,  530. 

Gross,  covering  the  people,  84,  90. 
Death,  deliverance  from  all  sin  at,  532. 

Not  to  be  feared  by  the  good,  303,  533. 
Deities,  chavacter  of  heathen,  88. 

Number  of  heathen,  87. 
Deluge,  predicted,  C54. 
Demons,  ministering,  308. 
Depravit}',  general  and  deep,  99. 
Descartes,  liis  theory  of  vortices,  602. 
Design,  in  the  atmosphere,  265. 

In  the  eye,  1G>-167. 

In  the  law  of  gravitation,  581-584. 

In  the  planet's  motions,  607,  639. 

In  the  production  (f  colors,  250. 

Unity  of,  in  nature,  '266. 
Dew,  ancii-nt  notions  concerning,  486. 

Conditions  favorable  to,  489. 

Copious,  on  Hermon,  491. 

How  formed,  4S8. 

Qnantity  of,  on  (lowers,  4S9. 
Discoveries,  miide  through  spectroscope,  222. 
Diseases,  of  the  body,  lol. 

Of  the  soul,  102. 
Doctrines,  three  fundamental,  241. 

Christ  the  life  of,  402. 
Drink,  of  the  soul,  687. 
Dnimmond,  lime  light  of,  217,  292. 
Duty,  determined  by  liglit,  207. 

E. 

E^rth,  age  and  formation  of,  61,  395. 

Adiptod  to  man,  IGl. 

A  magnet,  567. 

Axial  ri)tation  of,  undeviating,  80. 

Diurnal  period  of,  adaptation  of,  81. 

Eccentricity  of,  6o7. 

Heat  of,  335. 

How  divided  among  men,  655. 

Inclination  of  its  axi'i,  465. 

Motion  of,  undeviating,  647. 

Motion  of,  unperceived,  465. 

Weight  of,  625. 

When  nearest  Ihe  sun,  465. 
Eccentricities,  of  planets,  ODG. 
Eclipse,  solar,  description  of,  361. 
Eclipses,  calculations  of,  exiict,  646. 

Of  Jupiter's  satellites,  327. 

Of  the  moon,  128. 

Of  the  sun,  360-371. 

Superstitions  concerning,  383. 
Edwards,  .Jonathan,  piety  of,  507. 

Wife  of,  her  piety,  510. 
Egypt,  animal  gods  of,  88. 


Egypt,  Hebrews'  delirerance  from,  658. 
England,  persecutions  in,  461. 

Great  storm  in,  4o9. 
Enthusiast,  Christ  not  an,  286. 
Epicurus,  teachings  of,  310. 
Ether,  luminiferous,  everywhere,  322. 

Mysteries  of,  195. 

Vibrations  of,  536. 
Europe,  vegetation  of,  496. 
Evaporation,  process  of,  219,  400,  474. 

No  impurity  in,  527. 
Excellences,  all,  blended  in  Christ,  153. 
Experiments,  with  spectrum  coloi-s,  246. 
Eye,  adaptation  of,  to  light,  162, 186. 

Cataract,  and  its  lessons,  358. 

Cobwebbed,  and  its  lessons,  353. 

Color-blind,  and  its  lessons,  334. 

Form,  parts  and  functions  of,  163-167. 

Importance  of,  to  man,  168. 

Injured,  by  intense  light,  73. 

Jaundiced,  and  its  lessons,  356. 

Mechanism  of,  divine,  162,  167. 

Near-sighted,  and  its  lessons,  351. 

Of  faitli,  350. 

Sensibility  of,  exquisite,  73,  347. 

Sound,  and  its  lessons,  318. 
Eyes,  of  petrified  animals,  64. 

F. 

Faculties,  superior,  in  heaven,  688,  689. 

Fall,  of  man,  known  to  angels,  675. 

Family,  of  worlds,  38. 

Puta  Mnrgana,  description  of,  285. 

Fate,  Stoic  idea  of,  311. 

Father,  God  a.  132. 

Kire,  worship  of,  299. 

Firmament,  wonders  of,  473. 

Flowers,  le-sons  from,  257. 

Regulate  the  dew,  489. 
Food,  of  the  soul,  687. 
Foreknowledge,  of  Christ,  420. 
Fountains  of  living  waters,  689. 
France,  persecutions  in,  400. 
Fraunhofer,  spectroscopic  discoveries  of,  215. 
Friction,  solar  heat  by,  410. 
Friend,  the  divine,  recognized,  228. 

G. 

Gabriel,  visit  of,  to  Daniel,  33,3. 

Galileo,  first  to  see  Jupiter's  satellites,  602. 

Gases,  balance  of,  preserved,  94. 

Solar  influence  on,  204. 
General  Assembly  of  saints,  686. 
Germination,  solar  influence  on,  552,  557. 
Gifts,  diversity  of,  252,  254. 

How  t'l  be  employed,  255. 
Glass,  colored,  effect  on  vegetation,  551. 
God,  c  mscience  a  witness  f  ^r.  173. 

Contact  of,  with  the  soul,  324. 

Designer  of  all,  266,  574. 


700 


INDEX. 


OoD,  glory  of,  overpowering,  75. 

Love  of,  to  in^in,  great,  1.<J3. 

Omnipresence  of,  [iSi. 

Revealed  a  Father,  132. 

Righteousness  of,  attested,  174. 

Seen  in  Christ,  77. 
Ooethe,  his  admiration  of  Christ,  154. 
Goldschmidt,  liis  account  of  an  eclipse,  365. 
Gospel,  affects  cliaracter  two  ways,  '^09. 

Complemeiital  to  man's  need,  243. 

Doctrities  of,  peculinr,  315. 

Effects  of,  various,  645. 

Fruits  of,  beneficent,  107,  451. 

Love  underlies  all  in,  242. 

Necessarily  influential,  206. 

Opposed  by  the  carnal  mind,  452. 

Superiority  of  its  teachings,  146. 

Triunijih  of,  final,  472. 
Grace,  complemental  to  man's  want,  243. 

Growth  in,  492. 

In  the  blade,  557. 

In  the  stiilk,  558. 

In  the  ear,  561. 

Not  to  be  limited,  113. 

Salvation,  all  of,  123-126. 
Gravitation,  action  ot,  infallible,  646-652. 

Apsides  and  law  of,  583. 

Balance  of,  delicate,  G28,  C45. 

Design  evident  in,  581-584. 

Discoveries  made  thnmgh,  624. 

Law  of,  581,  582,  024. 

Lessons  from,  585-588,  595-598. 

Mnment  of  its  discovery,  623. 

Mj'steries  connected  with,  590. 

Ruling  power,  578,  617. 

Solar,  illustrated,  580. 

Sun's  and  planets',  mutual,  627. 

Theories  respecting,  589. 

Weight,  the  measure  of,  579. 

Will-power  of  God,  694. 
Greeks,  their  notions  of  the  sun,  50. 

IT. 

Halo,  around  the  sun,  275. 
Ham,  inheritance  iind  fate  of,  656. 
Ilappines--,  Clirist  our,  402. 
Iliirmonies,  of  nature  and  grace,  108. 
Health   promoted  by  sunlight,  96-98. 
Hoat,  all  derived  from  the  sun,  394. 

Intense,  how  produced,  216. 

Solar,  amount  of,  398-406. 

Solar,  how  originated  and  perpetuated,  400-417. 

Solar,  intensity  of,  .307. 
Heathen,  abominable  vices  of,  89. 

What  hope  for,  643. 
Heavens,  aspect  of,  at  night,  83,  585. 
Hclniholtz,  on  solar  contraction,  410. 
Herschel,  Sir  J.,  on  the  eye,  162. 

On  solar  heat,  398,  405. 


Herschel,  on  solar  light,  292. 
Hindoos,  alarm  of,  at  an  eclipse,  384. 
History,  sacred,  convergent  point  of,  44. 
Holy  Spirit,  agency  of,  proved,  197. 

Dispensation  of,  140. 

Omnipresence  of,  188. 

Salvation  applied  by,  189. 
Hope,  eternal,  043-645. 
Hospitals,  favorable  wards  of,  98. 
Humiliation,  of  Christ,  421. 
Humors,  of  the  eye,  165. 
Hunt,  K.,  experiments  with  solar  rays,  551. 
Hurricanes,  in  various  parts,  441-44.'i. 
Huyghens,  liis  theory  of  light,  182. 

I. 

Idolatry,  effects  of,  88. 
Illuminiition,  of  the  soul,  225. 

Of  the  world,  258-260. 
Immanuel,  Christ  the,  226. 
Immortality,  doubtful  to  wisest  heathens,  134. 

Evidence  of,  651. 
Impostor,  Christ  not  an,  284. 

A  remarkable,  520. 
India,  hurricanes  in,  442. 
Ink,  invisible,  211. 
Interdependence,  in  nature,  121. 
Iris,  or  the  pupil  of  the  eye,  165. 
Iron,  spectrum  of,  220. 

Jacob,  predictions  of,  058. 
Japheth,  inheritance  of,  P56. 
Jaundice,  effect  of,  on  vision,  356. 
Jerusalem,  beginning  at,  3'Jl. 
Jews,  errors  and  hyprocrisy  of,  89. 

Worship  of,  carnal,  137. 
Jones,  Sir  W.,  on  Institutes  of  Menu,  296. 
Journey,  in  the  night,  S2. 
Judiis,  self-condemned,  179. 
Judgment,  assured  by  conscience,  175. 

Of  the  last  day,  143,  210. 

Particulars  and  issue  of,  144. 
Jupiter,  and  its  satellites,  326. 

K. 

Kepler,  his  theory  of  celestial  motions,  601. 

Kirchhdff,  on  solar  spectia,  221. 
Knowledge,  sui)erior,  in  heaven,  688. 

X. 

Laland,  on  the  sun's  orbital  motion,  681. 
Lamb,  the,  leading  and  feeding  saints,  686,  690. 
Law,  moral,  its  spirituality,  130,  344. 

Of  love,  comjiared  to  gravitation,  609. 
Laws,  general,  govern  the  wurld,  109,  548. 
Lenses,  burning,  .397,  515. 

Made  of  ice,  515. 

Of  the  eye,  li)5. 
Life,  spiritual,  origin  of,  435. 
Light,  moral,  determines  obligation,  207. 


INDEX. 


701 


Light,  moral,  affects  character  two  ways,  209. 

New,  shed  on  all  things,  345. 

Physical,  ahsorhed  by  atmosphere,  293. 

Adapted  to  the  eye,  162. 

Ethereal  chaiacter  of,  156. 

Experiments  of  Newton  on,  147. 

How  produced,  184. 

Invisible,  338. 

Intensity  of  the  sun's,  291. 

Reflected  by  the  atmosphere,  259. 

Reveals  all  things,  341. 

Studied  by  the  ancients,  180. 

Uncontaminable,  157. 

Velocity  of,  how  discovered,  327,  330. 
Light-waves,  present  through  all  space,  340. 
Lights,  artificial,  the  strongest,  292. 
Lilies,  admired  by  Clirist,  i;40. 
Lines,  darli,  in  spectrum,  215. 
Lockyer,  his  description  of  an  eclipse,  361. 
Lodestone,  discovery  of,  563. 
Love,  a  new  force,  470. 

Of  Christ,  380,  301,  420-426. 

Law  of,  compared  to  gravitation,  609. 
Luminifcrous  etlier,  its  nature,  183. 

Mysteries  of,  192. 

Type  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  188. 
Luther,  a  man  of  prayer,  484. 

31. 

Machinery,  driven  by  the  sun,  432. 
Machinery  Hall,  at  Centennial,  426, 
Magnet,  experiment  with,  564. 

The  earth  a,  567. 

The  sun  a,  5GS. 
Magnetic  storms,  570-573, 669. 
Magnetism,  discovery  of,  563. 

Of  the  sun,  569-573,  669. 

Universal  force,  5G6. 
Magnitudes,  of  tlie  stars,  293. 
Maladies,  healed  by  Christ,  101. 
Malaria,  swept  away  by  a  tornado,  449,  450. 
Man,  a  bundle  of  mysteries,  196. 

Adapted  to  the  earth,  162. 

Character  of,  revealed  by  Spirit,  344. 

Free-agency  of,  618. 

Immortality  of,  evinced,  652. 

In  darltnoss,  224. 

Originates  no  new  matter  or  force,  614. 

To  equal  angels,  337. 

To  visit  other  worlds,  337. 
Martyrs,  number  of,  462. 
Mary  of  Magdalij,  her  penitence,  176. 
Matter,  properties  of,  548. 
Mauvais,  his  description  of  corona,  364. 
Maxims,  of  Pythiigoras,  301. 
Maxwell,  Lady,  piety  of,  505. 
McCosh,  Dr.,  on  colors,  236,  239. 
Men,  all,  imperfect,  151,  160. 

Bad,  agents  of,  good,  518. 

43 


Men,  children  of  the  sun,  431. 

Menu,  Institutes  of,  295. 

Mercy,  divine,  revealed  through  man,  675, 

Astonished  angels,  676. 
Messiah,  promises  of,  34,  45. 

Prophecies  concerning,  665. 
Metals,  solar  influence  on,  202. 
Meteors,  falling  into  the  sun,  411, 

Showers  of,  411. 
Milky  Way,  of  what  composed,  694. 
Minerals,  solar  influence  on,  202. 
Mock-suns,  description  of,  276-282 
Monarchies,  the  four  great,  664. 
Moon,  eclipses  of,  128. 

Illumination  of,  261. 

Light  of,  compared  with  the  sun's,  294. 

Orbit  of,  54. 

Shines  by  borrowed  light,  127,  340. 
Moors,  alarm  of,  at  an  eclipse,  385. 
Moses,  predictions  of,  659. 
Motion,  centripetal  and  centrifugal,  605. 
Motions,  celestial,  ideas  of,  GOO. 
Muscee  Vnlitanles,  description  of,  353. 
Myer,  Genei-al,  his  observation  of  an  eclipee,  362, 
Myopia,  description  of,  361. 
Mystery,  astronomy  built  on  a,  195. 

In  human  anat;;my,  196. 

In  metaphysics,  196. 

In  nature,  confessed,  598. 

No  valid  objection  to  religion,  192,  598. 

Of  the  cross,  423. 
Mysteries,  of  gravitation,  590-594. 
Myth,  Christ  not  a,  285. 

m 

Nature,  simplicity  of,  230. 
JVebulif,  number  of,  G94. 
Nebular  tlieory,  62,  407. 
Needle,  compass,  oscillations  of,  568. 
Nero,  persecutions  of,  457. 
Newton,  Sir  Isiiac,  agitation  of,  623. 

Blinded  by  excessive  light,  75. 

Experiments  of,  on  light,  147. 

Fundamental  laws  of,  603. 

His  theory  of  light,  181. 
Night,  a  season  of  danger,  82. 
Nineveh,  destniction  of,  G60. 
Northern  lights,  periodicity  of,  570. 

o. 

Object,  the  most  glorious  and  beneficent,  37,  40. 
Ocean,  solar  influence  on,  201,  429. 

Water,  analysis  of,  526. 
Offices,  of  the  sun,  40. 
Orb,  the  central,  of  revelation,  44-49. 
Orbits,  inclinations  of,  635. 

Perturbations  of,  G33. 
Ordinances,  Christ  the  life  of,  402. 
Oxygen,  restored  to  the  atmosphere,  94. 


702 


INDEX. 


P. 

Parable,  offered  by  geology,  grand,  68. 

I'arUeli'i,  description  of,  °i2T6-282. 

IHiris,  communication  during  the  siege  of,  542. 

Passions,  as  diseases,  Zbl. 

Paul,  after  his  conversion,  253. 

Kucouraged  by  an  angel,  335. 
Payson,  Edward,  piety  of,  504. 
Pericles,  alarmed  by  an  eclipse,  384. 
Persecution,  by  the  Romans,  454-459. 

By  the  Catholic  Church,  459-4C2. 

Not  chargeable  to  Christianity,  462. 

or  Christ  and  his  apostles,  453. 
Persecutions,  benefits  from,  4(i3. 
Perseverance,  of  saints,  040-643. 
Persons,  no  respect  of,  325. 
Perturbations,  of  planets,  632-6.37. 

Newton  alarmed  by,  633,  638. 

Of  the  nioial  univetse,  643-645. 
Peter,  melted  by  a  look,  179. 
Pharisees,  convicted  by  their  own  consciences,  176. 
Philosophies,  proved  false,  314. 
Photography,  aiiplications  of,  541. 

Beginning  of,  204. 

Best  hours  for,  550. 

Instantiineous,  543. 

Microscopic,  542. 

Moral,  208-271. 
Piety,  growth  of,  492. 

Instances  of  eminent,  504-511. 
Plan,  in  nature  and  grace,  70-72. 
Planets,    abodes    of   life    and    intelligence,   38, 
670-674. 

Atmosphere  of,  39,  672. 

Change  in,  felt  by  the  sun,  628. 

Compared  with  the  sun,  50,  294. 

Electric  excitation  by,  414-417. 

Mechanics  of,  til6. 

Motions  of,  explained,  603. 

Motions  of,  unileviating,  647. 

Perturbations  of,  632-ti37. 

Points  of  similarity  in,  38,  671. 

Scattered  throtigh  space,  43. 

Time  required  to  fall  into  the  sun,  412. 

Under  two  forces,  579,  003. 

Velocity  and  distance  of,  related,  608. 

Weiglit  of,  02.'5. 
Plants,  growing  in  darkness,  95. 
Plato,  teachings  of,  305. 

Phado  of,  308. 

Republic  of,  308. 
Pleiades,  mystery  of,  684. 

Sweet  influences  of,  685. 
Porter,  Prof.  F.  L.,  simoon  described  by,  446. 
Pouillet,  on  solar  heat,  399,  405. 
Prayer,  abounding,  and  its  benefit,  481. 

Answer  to,  certjiin,  481. 

Inspiration  and  efficacy  of,  480. 

Men  of,  482-484. 


Prayer,  no  respect  of  persons  in,  325. 

Spirit  given  in  answer  to,  483. 

Whispers  of,  heard,  324. 
Preachers,  unconverted,  successful,  518-521. 

Self-deceived,  521. 
Predictions,  concerning,  Abraham,  657. 

The  deluge,  054. 

The  four  great  empires,  664. 

Israel  as  a  nation,  659. 

Jacob's  sons,  658. 

The  Messiah,  665. 

Nineveh,  Babylon  and  Tyre,  660. 

Fulfilled,  good  evidence,  653. 
Prism,  seven  coloi-s  of,  149. 
Promises,  of  Messiah,  34. 
Prophecies,  fulfilment  of,  654-666. 
Prophecy,  Messianic,  45. 
Providence,  proof  of,  666. 

Revealed  by  Christ,  139. 

Unknown  to  the  heathen,  139. 
Ptolemy,  his  theoiy  of  celestial  motions,  600. 
Pupil,  of  the  eye,  16.5. 
Pythagoras,  pretensions  and  demeanor  of,  300. 

Teachings  of,  301. 

R. 

Rain,  heat  required  to  produce,  475. 

Saline,  528. 

Yellow,  red  and  black,  529. 
Rain-marks,  geological,  04. 
Rays,  light  and  heat,  separable,  513, 

Actinic,  554,  557-502. 
Redeemed,  instructed  in  heaven,  690. 

Visiting  other  worlds,  091-694. 
Redemption,  made  known'  to  principalities,  678. 

Wisdom  in  the  scheme  of,  678. 
Regeneration,  a  nigral  diange,  252. 

Native  traits  remain  after,  253. 

Origin  of,  435. 
Relics,  veneration  for,  289. 
Religion,  a  matter  of  choice,  191,  618. 

Mysteries  no  valid  objection  to,  192-197. 
Renan,  his  eulogy  of  Christ,  156. 
Republic,  of  Plato,  308. 
Resurrection,  revealed  and  assured,  142,  382. 
Relina,  insensible  to  some  colors,  355. 

Section  of,  164. 
Revelation,  central  orb  of,  43-49. 
Revivals,  secured  by  pniy<'r,  4S3-485. 
Rivers,  how  perpetuated,  430. 
Roemer,  velocity  of  light  discovered  by,  328. 
Rousseau,  his  admiration  of  Christ,  156. 

s. 

Sacrifices,  their  significance,  44. 
Saints,  eternal  progress  of,  095. 

Worship  of,  2H9. 
Salt-rocks,  how  formed,  67. 
Salvation,  all  of  grace,  1J3-126,  424-426. 

Offered  first  to  the  Jews,  391. 


INDEX. 


703 


SalratJon,  planne<l  from  eternity,  70. 

Wisdom  ill  the  plan  of,  678. 
Saul,  conversion  of,  197. 
Saviour,  the,  revealed  by  the  Spirit,  346. 
Schellen,  on  spectroscope's  power,  219. 
.Science,  not  an  invention,  71. 
Seasons,  the  round  of,  explained,  466, 555. 
Seed,  g'Tmination  of,  562,  567. 
Seneca,  doubtful  of  future  state,  134. 
Shetii,  inheritance  of,  656. 
Showers,  how  produced,  478. 
Siirni,  solar,  description  of,  364. 
Sight,  marvels  of  its  production,  186. 
Simoon,  described,  445-448. 
Snow,  in  planets,  39,  672. 
Society,  its  evils  remedied,  106. 
.-^ocrates,  his  ideas  of  immortality,  134,  303. 

Teachings  of,  302-305. 
Soil,  how  formed,  65. 
J'olutions,  minertl,  203. 
Soul,  Clirist's  estimate  ot,  135. 

Human,  proved,  134. 

Illumiuation  of,  225. 

Transmigration  of,  299,  301,  304,  306. 
Sound,  how  produced,  183. 

Velocity  of,  326. 
Sound-waves,  scale  of,  536. 
Space,  interstellar,  dark,  341. 
Spectra,  of  various  substances,  217. 
Sjtectroscope,  discoveries  made  by,  222. 

Flow  constnicted,  212. 

Its  revelations,  214. 

Sensitiveness  of,  219. 
Spectrum,  experiments  with,  246. 

Of  the  sun  and  of  iron,  221. 
Spirit,  Holy,  dispensation  of,  140. 

Invisible,  342,  346. 

Operations  of,  187,  191. 

Revelations  of,  343. 
Spirits,  present  but  unperceived,  547. 
Spots,  solar,  periodicity  of,  509. 
Springs,  how  produced,  430. 
Stars,  mairnitudea  of,  293. 
Stoics,  doctrines  of  311. 
i^torm,  great,  in  England.  4^9. 
St'irms,  furious,  in  various  parts,  439-445. 

In  the  sun,  223. 
.''traus%  his  testimony  to  Christ,  155. 
Suicide,  allowed  by  the  Stoics,  313. 
.summer,  return  of,  -JOS. 
Sun,  alone,  self-luminous,  129. 

Advancing  motion  of,  081-683. 

Attraction  of,  617. 

Benefactor,  unrequited,  122. 

Cause  of  all  terrestrial  motions,  428-433. 

Centre  of  the  system,  37,  577. 

Comimred  with  the  planets,  56. 

Compositi'in  of,  222. 

Corona  of,  363. 


Sun,  dimensions  of,  54. 

Discolored,  273. 

Distance  of,  53. 

Effects  of,  various,  20T. 

Energies  of,  undiminished,  116. 

Extinction  of,  supposed,  42. 

Form  of,  distorted,  273. 

Heat  of,  395,  397-401,  404. 

Heat  of,  how  originated,  406-417. 

Heat  and  light  of,  separable,  513. 

Influence  of,  on  animals,  96,  202. 

Influence  of,  on  atmosphere,  201,  428. 

Influence  of,  on  metals  and  minerals,  202,  20& 

Influence  of,  on  the  ocean,  201. 

Influence  of,  on  vegetafiou,  94,  202. 

Invisible  rays  of,  395.  ^^ 

Mass  or  weight  of,  56,  626. 

Orbit  of,  683. 

Preparing  the  earth  for  man,  65-67. 

Protuberances  on,  364-376. 

Shines  alike  for  all,  110. 

Shone,  through  geological  time,  Si, 

Siena  of,  364. 

Splendor  of,  57. 

Spectrum  of,  221. 

Spots  on,  569,  680. 
Sunbeam,  its  marvels,  92. 

All  colors  in,  150. 
Sunlight,  favorable  to  health,  96-98. 

Popular  idea  of,  199. 
Sunrays,  how  sifted,  550. 
Sunshine,  a  symbol  of  grace,  119. 
Sum  of  Riohteousvess,  self-luminous,  129-146. 

Attraction  of,  586,  695. 

Beams  of,  105. 

Grace  of,  inexhaustible,  117-121. 

Light  of,  to  be  reflected,  267. 

Possessed  all  virtues,  150. 

Rising  of,  91. 

Rules  by  truth  and  love.  617. 

Shines  alike  for  all,  112-115. 

Unrequited  benefactor,  12.3-126. 
Symbol,  the  loftiest,  of  the  prophets,  36,  120. 
Sympathy,  with  Christ,  of  believers,  675. 
System,  solar,  a  lone  cluster,  577. 

Members  of,  37,  577. 

Stability  of,  638. 

T, 

Table  of,  heat  and  chemical  rays,  550. 

Ingredients  in  ocean  water,  526. 

Magnitudes  of  stars,  293. 

Planets'  distances  and  Telrvcities,  60S. 

Planets'  volumes,  masses  and  densities,  626. 

Solar  spectra.  222. 

Velocities  and  force  of  winds,  438. 
Talents,  gifts  of  God,  256. 

How  to  be  employed,  255. 
Taylor,  J.  B.,  piety  of,  606. 


704 


mDEX, 


Teachftr,  the  Divine,  226. 

The  Great,  original,  130. 

Be-east  old  truths,  131. 
Tears,  the  fountain  of,  166. 
Thomson,  Prof.  W.  T.,  on  meteors,  411,  414. 
Tomb,  Christ's,  its  revelations,  380. 

Voice  from,  382. 
Tornadoes,  described,  439-445. 

Good  effected  by,  448-450. 
Transparency,  importance  of,  516. 

To  light  and  lieat,  613. 
Trials,  of  Christ,  manifold,  159. 
Trilobites,  eyes  of,  ti4. 
Truth,  divine,  various  effects  of,  207,  545. 

Influence  on  character,  209. 
Tyndall,  on  solar  lieat,  399,  405,  406,  409. 
Types,  oftiie  Messiah,  various,  34,  44. 
Tyre,  destruction  of,  foretold,  660. 

Undulation,  theory  of,  182. 
Unity,  of  design,  in  creation,  266. 
Universe,  vastness  of,  694. 

F. 

Vapor,  amount  of,  40O. 
Vapors,  absorption  by,  219. 
Variety,  in  mental  faculties,  252. 

In  nil  nature,  251. 
Vegetation,  geological,  65. 

Of  the  different  zones,  49.5-501. 

Purifies  the  atmosphere,  93. 

Stimulated  by  the  sun,  94,  431,  495,  551. 
Velocity,  and  direction,  of  planets,  606. 

And  distance,  of  planets,  608. 

And  gravitation,  balanced,  606. 
Velocitie'i,  different,  compared,  329. 
Venus,  AUc  of,  128 

Light  nf,  294. 

Transits  of.  ]'28,  648. 
Vibrations,  of  ether  and  of  air,  536. 
Virgin,  the  woi-sliip  of,  288. 
Virtues,  cherished  and  neglected,  152. 

Combined  in  Christ,  153. 
Vision,  defects  of,  151-159. 


Vision,  mental,  oflen  injured,  348. 

Vortices,  theory  ot;  602. 

w. 

Water,  composition  of,  623. 

Impurity  of,  523. 

In  the  planets,  672. 

Ocean,  matter  in,  525. 
Waters,  symbolical  import  of,  531. 
Wave  systems,  319. 
Waves,  on  water,  182,  318. 

In  the  atmosphere,  183,  320. 

In  the  luminiferous  ether,  184,  320. 

Show  design,  321. 
Whirlwinds,  described,  440. 
Will,  freedom  of,  618. 
Will-jjower,  of  God,  594. 
Winds,  how  produced,  428. 

Velocity  and  force  uf,  438. 
Wings,  symbols  of  speed,  333. 
Winter,  incoming  and  aspects  of,  467. 
Wisdom,  in  the  scheme  of  grace,  678. 
Wollaston,  discoverer  of  prismatic  lines,  21 
World,  the,  governed  by  general  laws,  109. 

Without  atmosphere,  259. 

Without  colors,  248. 
Worlds,  family  of,  38. 

Plurality  of,  670-G74. 
Worship,  of  the  Jews,  carnal,  137. 

Of  saints,  289. 

True  and  acceptable,  137. 
Writing,  invisible,  211. 

X. 

Xerxes,  encouraged  by  an  eclipse,  384. 

Y, 

Year,  exact  length  of,  647. 
The  great,  of  Plato,  306. 
Young,  Prof  C.  A.,  on  solar  phenomena,  373. 
Young,  Prof  Thomas,  studies  on  light,  182. 

z. 

Zend  Avesta,  298. 
Zeno,  doctrines  of,  311. 
Zoroaster,  teachings  of,  298. 


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